


In Which The Avengers All Fight For My Favorite

by ShieldAgents56



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-04
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2018-02-07 09:14:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 43
Words: 33,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1893540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShieldAgents56/pseuds/ShieldAgents56
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Avengers all enjoy their newest member, Imani Brooks, but what happens when she admits her favorite?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Favorite Morning

She patted down her hair for the final time and stepped out of the bathroom.

“Good morning Ms. Brooks.” The smooth voice said from what sounded like in every direction.

 “Morning Jarvis.” She said smiling and headed upstairs for breakfast dressed in a white shirt and black gym shorts. As she got up the last step of the stairs, a white cup whizzed in front of her and slammed against the wall, shattering into pieces.

“Whoa!” She shouted and turned to the scene in front of her. Thor and his raven haired brother Loki were standing in the kitchen; Loki sitting on the marble white tile island, dressed in an all-black suit and tie ensemble, ankles crossed and staring at his brother with a face only being described as mundane boredom. Thor, however, looked as if he wanted to rip the man limb from limb, dressed in his armor with _Mjölnir clenched in his fist_. “Am I interrupting something?” She asked, gently putting up her hands. Both heads turned to her just as a thumping of footsteps came from behind.

“I heard a crash. What the hell happened?” Steve asked. He was dressed in a white shirt (too small for him but did a justice on showing off his muscles) and usual tan khakis.

“Noting to be of concern.” Thor said, glancing at Loki. Loki blinked and cocked his head slightly. “We were discussing you Ms. Brooks.” Loki said his voice entrancing and addictive. He hopped off of the counter and walked toward her, hands behind his back. “Why me?”  She asked, slowly walking toward him. Loki was amused and a small smirk toyed at his lips. He enjoyed Imani; she never failed to match up his boldness. They both stopped a few mere inches in front of each other. She smelled the cologne he was wearing and gently bit her lip.

_God he always smelled so great…_

 Loki smiled and turned to his brother before saying, “My brother believes that he is your favorite.” She looked at Thor, who had his arms crossed and glaring so angrily at his brother it made her shudder. “Well he is my favorite…next to Steve of course.” Steve, who had made his way to the kitchen and was busily digging in the fridge to prepare breakfast, perked up at the sound of his name. “The Captain is your favorite?” Thor roared. She giggled and walked over to Steve.

“Yeah.”

“Why?” Loki asked his face scrunched up in confusion. “He gives me hugs. Every morning I don’t go without a Rogers hug.” Steve blushed, his cheeks a rosy red. “Speaking of….” Steve wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her sides, causing her to giggle. He even picked her up and swung her around a bit, causing a laugh to erupt form her.

“Besides” She said as Steve gently set her down. “Why are you guys so interested in being my favorite?”

Thor was silent, biting the inside of his cheek. Loki scoffed a bit and shook his head. _My foolish stubborn brother. He already has a Midgardian woman. Why does he need-_

“But you guys do realize my favorite does change throughout the day.” Loki’s head perked up. Imani sat on the counter, examining a green apple. She set it down and huffed.

“Changes?” Loki asked. “Of course. Steve may be my favorite today, but Tony might be my favorite tomorrow.” “I heard my name. What about me?” Tony asked, walking up the stairs. “Favorites.” Steve shouted over his shoulder. Tony looked around the room. “Thor and Loki were fighting over whose Imani’s favorite.” Clint said from his place on the couch. Loki and Imani looked at each other before turning to Clint. “How long were you there Clint?” Imani asked.

“Long enough.”

“Well I know I’m in her favorites somewhere right?” Tony asked. There was a small silence and Imani said, “I have an idea.” She hopped off of the counter and jogged into the hallway, slipping past a confused looking Bruce. He watched her go, and then turned to everyone. “What’s going on?”

“Everyone wants to see where they stand on Imani’s favorite list.” Tony said, aimlessly going through his phone.

He nodded in understanding. As Steve flipped the last of the pancakes, she came bounding upstairs with a white board, a pack of Expo markers, and an eraser. She walked over to the couch and sat on the couch, writing something in black. “There.” She said and propped up the board on the table. “Ha! I beat Tony!” Clint shouted. “What?! How?!” Tony shouted and one by one, everyone walked over to the board.

“I don’t think you understand what you started…” Natasha said walking over to Imani. She looked at the red head as Natasha sipped her coffee. She liked her coffee black with no creams or sugars. “What have I started?” Imani asked, biting into a piece of bacon and quickly grabbing a few pancakes before Thor could get any. “That everyone is going to fight for your number one favorite spot.” Imani smiled and grabbed the honey, pouring it on her pancakes. “I wanna see how this goes. It’s about time we have a little fun around here.” Imani said and Natasha nodded in agreement.

“How the hell does Jarvis beat me?! He’s an AI!!” Tony shouted. Imani shot a look at Natasha, who gave the faintest of amused smiles. “Because I feel like Jarvis doesn’t get enough love around here.” Imani said biting off a hunk of pancake. “He gets plenty love. Rogers move my name up.” Tony said pointing at Steve. “No Steve.” Imani said and Steve chuckled, putting up his hands.   


“You’re going to cause a full blown war here.” Bruce said softly. He had a mug of something in his hand. Imani figured it was his usual tea. “Sounds like someone’s satisfied with their place on my favorites list?” Imani giggled, biting into another piece of pancake. Bruce chuckled. “Yeah. I mean 3rd place isn’t bad. But Loki doesn’t seem too fond of being below me.” Imani turned to the raven haired man, who was sitting on the couch, chin resting on his folded palms. He looked as if he was contemplating. But she couldn’t figure out what. “Alright enough! Steve made breakfast and I don’t want all of his hard work going to waste.” “You only say that because he’s first on your list!” Tony said.

Imani's Favorite List:

Steve

Clint

Bruce

Loki

Thor

Natasha

Jarvis

Tony


	2. Fallen Soldier

Imani huffed, hobbling over to a worried looking Natasha. “I-I’m ok…re-really.” She tried to manage a small smile, but the pain both in her leg and her shoulder made a grim appearance on her face. “C’mon. I’m getting you to safety.” “I-I can still fight!” Imani shouted. “Man Cupcake I’ve got eyes on you. You better go with Tasha. You don’t look so good.” Clint’s voice said from her earpiece. “Fine.” She muttered. Through all of the destruction on the New York streets, Imani and Natasha dodged and weaved through overturned cars, fiery explosions, hell even Tony’s lasers. “Stay here.” Natasha said, guiding the 18 year old to a secluded alley. “I’ll be back.” Imani nodded and Natasha rushed off. They were fighting some weird alien creatures. “Close to Chitauri, but not quite. Not exactly sure who or what they are and exactly what they want.” Loki’s voice filtered through her earpiece. “They are about to come back from once they came!” Thor’s voice boomed and she heard the faint boom of what sounded like Mjölnir hitting the ground. Imani was hesitant to peek her head around. Besides she felt faint…weak…Her vision was slowly getting blurry…and her head was throbbing. Soon she fell into a state of darkness.

She awoke with a start, her vision blurry like TV static and her head pounding as if Thor was smacking his hammer upside her skull. She thought she heard voices but they were very faint.

_I wanna sleep….So tired_

Her eyes closed and she felt calm. At peace.

Someone was shaking her with such strength it made her head rattle, which wasn’t good considering her terrible headache. A voice, although faint, was evident.

Loki…

Her eyes opened and it hurt. The light was blinding, but she could barely make out the outline of the raven haired man. She felt a cold hand gently squeeze hers and soon, she slipped back into the darkness.

 

Loki stood up slowly and walked out of the hospital room. Natasha, who was leaning up against the wall, pushed herself up and looked at Loki. “Is she ok?” She asked. Loki took in a small breath. “She’s alive…” It seemed as if the Avengers released a breath that they were holding in. “But barely…” Steve, who had his head in his hands (and was still dressed in his Captain uniform), snapped his head up. “Barely…?” Bruce whispered. Loki glanced at Natasha, who was stone faced.

“She’s holding on…but she’s been slipping in and out…” “Will she survive?” Tony asked. He was dressed in a black shirt and gray pants, his Arc reactor glowing through the shirt.

Loki sighed. “It’s…unclear…” “What do you mean unclear?!” Clint suddenly shouted. Natasha placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Like I said…she’s been slipping…” Much to his surprise, Loki’s eyes glossed over with tears. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw that it was Thor.

“Let us leave toward the Tower of Stark. She will be here in the morning.” Thor said.

“One of us should stay with her…in case…” Bruce’s voice trailed off.

“I’ll stay.”

Thor pated his brother’s shoulder and one by one, the Avengers left the hospital. Loki walked into the bathroom and ran his hand down his body. His armor had changed into a simple black shirt and black jeans. He splashed some cold water onto his face and walked back toward Imani’s room. A nurse was checking her over when he walked in.

“Hello.” She said, flashing him a gentle smile. Loki smiled back and said, “How is she?”

She let out a small sigh and a sad smile. “She’s alive…” “But barely…” Loki finished.

She nodded and looked at Imani. “She’s one hell of a fighter…do you plan on staying here?”

He nodded and walked to the far side of the room, sitting on a chair and gently holding Imani’s hand.

She was pale, cuts and major bruises on her face, arms, and legs. Her chest would flutter slightly and Loki was grateful for the beeping heart monitor. The nurse continued to check Imani over and as she started to walk out, she stopped.

“Would you like the TV on?” He gave her a small smile and shook his head. “No thank you.” The nurse smiled and walked out, gently shutting the door.

Loki looked at the 18 year old and squeezed her hand gently.

 _You have to wake up at some point love…_  


	3. I Have Awakened

Loki walked into the hospital room and wasn’t surprised to find the Avengers huddled around the 18 year old. It’s been two months and the girl wasn’t close to recovering. The doctor was surprised. “She’s been holding on when, in all honesty, she should be….” His voice trailed off and Loki tried not to think about that. Clint and Natasha were placed against the wall, looking at the girl. Loki knew Natasha felt some sort of guilt, but didn’t question her about it. Tony was sitting in a chair right next to Imani. He hasn’t been sleeping even more than usual and honestly, it scares Loki.

Steve sat right beside Tony and honestly, he looked the worst. Bags hung under his eyes and his hair was matted up in all sorts of knots. Loki remembered Steve telling him about his friend Bucky, who died while he was in war.

_He’s losing another friend…_

Thor and Bruce were sitting in the corner, silent as usual.

“You ever think she’ll wake up?” Steve asked softly.

Tony placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled, but Loki saw the mask. He was doing the same. Showing no emotion. As if it doesn’t affect him.

“She’s a fighter Rogers. She’ll pull through.”

Suddenly, without warning, Imani’s heart monitor went haywire. Tony and Steve instantly stood back.

“What is wrong?!” Thor shouted.

Loki rushed outside and grabbed a nearby nurse.

The nurse, who was use to the Avengers coming in to visit, instantly rushed into the room.

The Avengers piled out and about 3 more nurses and a doctor rushed over. The door shut and the Avengers stared at one another.

After 4 agonizing hours the doctor came out. “How is she?” “Is she ok?” Clint and Natasha asked. The doctor sighed. “She’s fine…” Steve stood up and Loki noticed his eyes were glossy. “Surprisingly. Her body spazzed out and then nothing. We all thought she was gone…but she came back.” “Can we go see her?” Loki asked.

“She’s all yours.”

Steve, Clint and Natasha rushed in, followed by Bruce, Tony, Thor, and Loki.

“You scared us.” Clint said.

Imani gave a weak grin.

“Yeah I know.” She looked over at Steve, who was grinning like a mad man and holding Imani’s hand.

“Hey no crying Rogers. You either Mr. Banner.”

A chuckle floated around the room and Imani looked at Loki.  

“Come closer Loki. You act as if you’ll hurt me or something.”

Loki walked toward the black haired girl and smiled. “I’m glad you’re all right.”

Imani smiled and said, “How long have I been out?”

“About two months. The doctors were surprised that you even held out that long.” Bruce said.

Imani nodded in understanding and yawned. “I don’t understand how I’m tired considering how long I‘ve been out.” She looked over at Natasha and Clint, who hadn’t spoken a word. “Why so silent you two? Well I mean more than usual.”

Natasha sighed and placed her hand gently on Imani’s cheek. “We’re just glad you’re ok.”

“Yeah Cupcake.” Clint said, patting her head.  They vaguely reminded Loki of a family, although Imani and both Natasha and Clint have very different personalities.

There was a gentle knocking on the door and Loki turned to find the nurse. “How are you feeling?” She asked.

“Good. Sleepy though.”

The nurse looked at all of us. “How long until she can leave?” Tony asked.

“In about 2 days.”

Imani groaned. “Do not worry little one. Once you have fully healed, we will celebrate!” Thor boomed and Loki fought the urge to roll his eyes.

Imani giggled. “I’ll take you up on that Thor.” She yawned again.

“You need rest.” Steve said and looked at the rest of the Avengers. “We should go.”

After a few more goodbyes, the Avengers left the hospital.


	4. Getting Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this is too short! Got other stories!

Imani scanned the words, flipping the pages with ease. There was a knock on the door and she looked up, smiling.

“Hi Steve!”

Steve smiled, hands shoved in his jacket pockets. He wore a brown and yellow button down under his brown jacket and usual khaki’s.

“How you feeling?” He asked walking in and sitting on the chair near her bedside.

“Happy I get to get out of here. I miss the Tower.” Imani grumbled and Steve smiled a little.

“We miss you.” Imani smiled and patted his hand.

“How are you feeling Steve?” She asked softly. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Ok…shaken up…”

He looked up at the 18 year old to find her staring at him. Then, he found his eyes blurred with tears.

“I thought…” He voice cracked and a few tears dropped onto their intertwined hands. “I thought I’d lose you…Like Bucky.”

Imani squeezed the blonde man’s hand and ran her other hand through his hair as he broke down.

There weren’t any words said during this moment. A few nurses came in, but walked out when they saw the super soldier crying. Steve wiped away his tears and gave a broken smile. “S-Sorry….”

“We all have our moments Steve. No need to apologize.” Imani said, smiling gently.

He smiled and stood. “Let’s go.”

Imani grinned and hopped out of the bed. “FINALLY!”

She got dressed and both Steve and Imani walked out of the hospital. “You came on your motorcycle?” Imani asked. Steve grinned and climbed on, feeling Imani’s arms wrap around his middle. “I had to.” He said and they sped off toward the Tower.


	5. Drunks with Pizza

Imani hopped off of Steve’s bike and chuckled at the huge green with gold trim banner that read ‘Welcome Home Imani!’ “Loki did that…” Steve said rubbing the back of his neck. “Guess you guys have been planning this?” Imani asked, walking into the Tower. “Well of course. We’ve missed you.” Steve said, placing a gentle hand on the girl’s shoulder. She grinned and they walked into the main room. Before Imani could even look around, she was bear hugged and hoisted up by Thor.

“You have returned!” She rested her legs on his shoulders and laughed. Usually she would be afraid, but Thor was strong. And if he got too crazy, someone would get her down.

She scanned the room and saw Pepper, Rhodes, even Coulson.

“What’re you guys doing here?” She asked as Thor walked over to them. “Tony invited us. I’m glad you’re ok.” Pepper said and smiled. “Thanks.” She said and looked at Tony. “Wait Tony is handling the invite list? Oh god.” Everyone laughed and Tony shouted, “Hey! I didn’t go overboard this time!” Imani rolled her eyes. “Yeah right. By nightfall, this place will be packed.” Rhodes muttered, taking a sip of his soda.

Sure enough, he was right.

Imani was sprawled out on the laps of Steve and Loki on the couch. There were a few people upstairs, but downstairs it was going crazy. The music boomed and Imani heard the faint sound of glass breaking. “Does Tony always go this crazy with parties?” Loki asked, running his fingers through Imani’s hair. Steve chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. It’s insane.”

“But we have to deal with it.” Bruce said from his place near the fireplace. Imani hummed in agreement.

“Can we get pizza?” Loki, Imani, and Bruce looked at Steve who was grinning.

“Yeah sure. You just have to order it.” Imani said and moved her legs off of Steve’s lap.

“The usual?” He asked.

Imani looked at Loki and Bruce, who nodded. “Yes Sir.” She shouted and shut her eyes, sighing.

“Long day?” Bruce asked. “Long week.” Imani muttered.

Steve came back and Imani moved her legs so Steve could sit. He sat and grabbed her legs, placing them on his lap. Someone came trotting up the stairs and Steve’s head turned.

“Hey Coulson.” Imani smirked and sat up, looking at the Shield Agent. “Hi Phil.” Coulson gave a small smile. “Can I join you? In all honesty, I’m supposed to be keeping an eye on Tony. But Hawk and Romanoff have it covered…” He sounded flustered, which was a slight surprise. Coulson was a serious man, but looked like the type to get flustered. “Yeah c’mon over. Tony’s a handful. And bring that bowl of chips please?” Bruce asked. Coulson grabbed the bowl and came over, sitting near Steve’s feet. Bruce moved closer toward us and munched on a few chips. The doorbell rang and Steve got up, walking toward the door. “Steve ordered pizza.” Imani said to Coulson, who nodded.

Steve came back with atleast 6 boxes of pizza. “Steve….not all of us are super soldiers.” She looked at Loki. “Or Asgardians.” Loki chuckled and Steve set the boxes on the table. “You said get the usual.” “But it’s only like 5 of us.” Imani said, opening the box and taking out a slice of pepperoni, bacon, ham, and pineapple. Her fucking favorite.

“Might be a long night.” Steve said simply. “Well since we might be here for a while, let’s play a game.” Coulson said, biting into a pepperoni slice. “Like what?” Loki asked.

Imani couldn’t contain her laughter. “Steve you’re lying!!” Steve was clutching the pillow, a smirk plastered on his face. “No fucking lie.” There were a few beer bottles lying around. When Steve had about 2, he was smiling, face flushed red, and cursing. Imani was giggly, but that wasn’t a surprise.

“You just-“ “Yeah.” Imani laughed harder, falling on Loki’s lap. Bruce was smiling, sipping at his tea. Coulson was diving into his next slice of pizza. “Alcohol makes me even hungrier.” He stated simply.

“Oh shit I can’t breathe. That is hilarious Mr. Rogers.” Imani said, catching her breath.

“What about you?” Imani shook her head and grabbed another slice of pizza, her head throbbing.

“You have to have one secret.” Loki said patting her head.

Imani grinned and swallowed her pizza. “Did I ever tell you guys I slept with Tony?”


	6. Cleaning and Babies

Cleaning up the next day was tough, well atleast for Tony.

“I don’t see why I have to clean downstairs all by myself.” He grumbled, throwing another bundle of streamers into the overflowing trash can. “You fuck shit up, you clean it Stark.” Imani said from her place on the couch. She sipped at her tea, and mentally thanked Bruce for it.

Steve bit into a piece of bacon, grinning. “Hey Tony.” Tony huffed and looked at Steve.

“What Rogers?”

“What ever happened to you and Imani in Spain?”

Imani looked up and saw Tony’s eyes shooting her daggers. “I was drunk.” She said and waved a dismissed hand, leaving it up to Tony.

“Son of a-“ “Language. And I really wanna hear this story.” Clint said, resting his elbows on the counter. “Look it was one night. We were both wasted on wine and…I can barely remember.” “C’mon Stark.” Clint whined.

“That’s the truth!” Tony shouted. “He’s right.” Imani said from her place on the couch. “We were both so wasted. We woke up the next morning naked and, obviously realizing what had happened, vowed to never speak of it and act as if it never happened.”

“So did you guys….like…high five afterwards?” Steve asked, smirking. That caused Clint to erupt into a fit of giggles, causing Imani to laugh.

“Fuck you.” Tony said and walked back downstairs to finish his mess. Imani snuck a piece of bacon off of Steve’s plate and walked into the hallway, knocking on Loki’s door.

Natasha mentioned something about Thor visiting Jane, so it was relatively quiet. The door opened and Loki stood there….but he was a small toddler. Imani’s jaw dropped. Little toddler Loki was dressed in Loki’s suit, but obviously it was too big.

“What happened….?” Imani asked. Toddler Loki looked up at her, his emerald orbs confused. Then, he giggled, flashing a toothy grin. He tried walking toward her, but since the suit was still on him he tripped and fell on his face. Imani took the suit off of him and held him as he cried.

“Guys…we have a problem!” Imani shouted walking back into the kitchen.

“Where’d that baby come from?” Steve asked.

“I think its Loki.” Imani said as Loki tugged gently on her hair.

“How….” “I don’t know!” Imani shouted setting Loki down on the floor.

“Oohhh…..” Clint said. “What?” “Thor and Loki had a fight last night. I don’t exactly know what but all I remember is Thor saying something about spells and a baby.” Clint said.

Imani watched as toddler Loki walked around, head up in awe at his surroundings. At one point he fell on his butt and erupted into a fit of giggles on the floor. “Well until the spell wears off…I guess we have a child to take care of.” Imani said, leaning against the counter.

“I think you mean you do.” Natasha said. “What?” Natasha nudged her head toward the toddler, who was currently tugging on Imani’s pajama pants. “He’s attached to you…sounds like Loki.” She muttered.

Imani picked up the toddler and huffed. “You better not be a handful.” She said to him. Loki blinked, biting on his finger.


	7. Old Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I just go through watching The Winter Soldier (yes late I know. Shut up), and have decided to add Sam and Bucky into the mix. Yay!!! This shall be after the movie. Alrighty then...ON WITH THE CHAPTER

Imani sighed, watching as Loki crawled around her room. He wasn’t a handful, but Imani wasn’t surprised. He was a well-mannered child and if you told him to stop he did. Imani set the book she was reading on her dresser and just watched him. He fell onto a bean bag and tried to get up, face scrunched up and red.

Imani giggled and hopped off her bed. She picked up Loki and sat on the bean bag chair with him in her lap.

Loki looked up at her, his emerald eyes glowing. He was sucking on his thumb and tugging at her hair.

“I could get use to taking of toddler you.” Imani said and Loki yawned. “Time for bed.” Imani said, standing. She walked over to the crib Tony made in less than 15 minutes.

She set Loki down into his crib and draped a blanket over his body. He quickly fell asleep, thumb in his mouth.

Imani smiled and flicked off the light, falling asleep on her bed. Toddler Loki woke up in the middle of the night, standing up in his crib. He looked around and saw Imani asleep. He climbed over and fell on his back, but didn’t cry.

He walked over to her bed and climbed up. He crawled on her stomach and she groaned, opening her eyes slightly.

“Couldn’t sleep?” She muttered softly. Loki blinked and crawled into her arms, snuggling his face into her neck.

“Guess you can sleep here…” She whispered and placed a kiss on the top of his head, falling back into slumber.

Imani groaned at the sunlight breaking through the window. She was slowly in and out of sleep, so she didn’t make much of it when she heard the usual drawl of, “Good Afternoon Ms. Brooks.”

Groaning and rubbing her eyes, she managed a tired, “Hello Jarvis.”

“Mr. Stark informed me to tell you that the team has gone out on separate missions.”

Imani cocked her head to the side. “Why didn’t anyone wake me?”

“They did not want to bother you. Oh! Also before I forget, Mr. Laufeyson told me to inform you that he has turned back into his normal self.”

Imani nodded and stretched. “Thanks for the info Jarvis.” “You’re welcome Miss. Do you need anything?”

Imani smiled. “No Jarvis. I’ll be ok.” “As you wish.”

Imani sighed and hopped out of bed. She took a hot shower, wearing a pair of denim shorts and a black Avengers tank top. She walked down toward the kitchen when she heard the doorbell ring. A bit confused, she walked toward the door and opened it.

“Yes can I help you?”

A man stood there wearing navy blue hoodie over a white shirt and black jeans, along with dress shoes. His hair was long and brown and he stared intently at me, his blue eyes mixed with so many emotions it made Imani’s head spin.

“Is Steve Rogers here?”


	8. Escape

“Um not at the moment. I don’t know when he’ll be back…” Imani was wary of the man. She had learned to analyze people from both Natasha and Clint and also learned to keep up her guard around strangers.

“You could come in and wait for him…if you’d like to.” He nodded once, pulling off his hood and giving a small gentle smile.

“That would be nice. Thank you.” Imani led him inside and he walked in slowly. Cautiously.

“Would you like anything to eat or drink?” Imani asked, walking toward the kitchen.

“No….thank you…” The man said softly and sat on the couch, grabbing the newspaper off the table.

Imani watched him from her place in the kitchen for a few minutes. Something about him seemed interesting. She wanted to know more about him. Where he was from. Where he had been.

“You know…” His voice was soft, smooth. “It’s not nice to watch people.”

“Sorry...” Imani whispered softly. The man set down his newspaper and turned to face her, resting his arms on the head of the couch. “Some people don’t like to be watched.” Imani swallowed hard and suddenly, in a flash, the man had her pinned against the fridge, his hand clasping her neck in a tight grip. Imani struggled to get out, but it only made him grip tighter. His hand, which she noticed was mechanical, was cold against her skin. The metal was sharp and pierced her skin.

“Where’s Steve Rogers?” The man growled.

“I-ack! D-don’t…k-kn-“She struggled to gurgle out her sentence. But that didn’t faze the man, if anything made his grip tighter. Her world was slowly becoming dark. The man threw her into the main room. Her body skidded across the coffee table, glass shattering around her body. The man hopped over the counter and slowly walked toward her, pulling out a gun.

“Shit!” She shouted and started running, bullets narrowly missing her by centimeters. She rushed down into Tony’s lab, diving behind a counter.

Glass shattered as bullets tore through the lab, destroying some of Tony’s upcoming projects.

_There’s only one way out of this…Damnit Tony’s going to fucking murder me…_

“Jarvis! I need one of Tony’s suits!” She screamed. She heard a distant beeping and scrambled up just as her hiding space exploded.

“Ms. Brooks I don’t think-“

“NOW JARVIS! I don’t care which model just give me a suit and get me out of here!” She screamed, and gave out a cry of pain as a bullet tore through her shoulder.

The man continued to shoot as Imani dove to the ground, covering her head.

She heard the distant sound of something that resembled a rocket sound and scrambled up. The individual parts of the suit latched against her until she was fully consumed by the suit. “Ms. Brooks this suit is a prototype. It can only take so much damage.” Jarvis’s voice was practically silent against the oncoming barrage of bullets. She quickly shot a repulse blast at the man, causing him to fall and be stunned.

Using the amount of seconds she had, she flew out of a nearby window and down toward the city. “Incoming call from Mr. Stark.” Jarvis said.

“Shit.” Imani grumbled.

“Damnit Jarvis! Who the hell is flying my prototype?!” Tony shouted. She only saw his face, but figured he was in some sort of meeting with the flashes of suit collar and tie.

“Tony do not get mad at Jarvis. I needed the suit in a rush!” Imani shouted. “What the hell did you need my suit for?!” “To get the fuck out of the Tower damnit! I was under attack and need a quick escape!” “With my suit?! And not only my suit, a prototype!?” “Look Tony! The suit works like a damn fucking charm. I’ll give it back later alright?!” Imani ended the call, wincing slightly at the pain in her shoulder. “Jarvis? Set a course to S.H.I.E.L.D.’s medical center please?”

“Certainly.”

She landed in front of S.H.I.E.L.D only to be met with an angry looking Coulson. “Stark what the hell? You’re supposed to be inside the damn meeting?” “Coulson it’s me! Jarvis please take the suit back and make sure it’s safe.”

“Of course.” The suit disbanded and the pieces flew off. Imani looked at the bullet wound on her shoulder, blood seeping through her shirt. “Imani…? Why did you-“ “Long story…just…” He looked at the wound on her shoulder and led her inside, shouting “This agent needs medical attention!”

 

 

Imani sat up in the medical bed, gauze over her wound. Coulson sat beside her bed and Fury stood in the doorway.

“You know Stark’s going to kill you for using his suit?” Fury asked.

Imani chuckled. “I know. But I was under attack. It was all I could think of.”

Fury walked further into the room. “Who attacked you?” Imani glanced at her wound and then to Fury. “I didn’t know him…” “Well what did he look like?” “Um…long brown hair…blue eyes…a bit of stubble-“ “Agent I want the person who attacked you. Not a mental image of your ideal man.”

“He had a mechanical arm…if that helps anything.” Fury’s eye went wide and he quickly walked out. Imani shot a confused look at Coulson, who was looking back at her equally confused. Fury then came back with a photo and handed it to her.

It was a black and white photo of a grinning Steve Rogers and a man beside him. “Yeah that was him…he asked about Steve, who is this guy?” She asked, handing him the photo back.

Fury didn’t say a word before Steve and Clint rushed in. “Where’s Tony?” I asked. “Outside. We told him to calm sown before coming in.” “Still mad I used his suit?” Imani asked grinning.

“He’s pissed more or less…but he’ll be ok.” Clint said with a smile.


	9. He Hates Me

Imani looked over at Steve, who was staring at the picture in Fury’s hand. His blue eyes were confused, but also glossy. He looked up at Fury. “Why do you have this…?” He asked softly.

Fury sighed and started to lead the man outside, but he wasn’t moving. “Why do you have this?” He repeated his voice hard.

Clint moved to Imani’s bedside, watching the situation carefully. Imani was genuinely confused.

_Why is Steve getting so worked up? Who is this guy?_

She wanted to ask, but decided it was better to keep her mouth shut. “We needed Imani to identify who attacked her…” Fury said and Steve turned to her, his mouth slightly open. The 18 year suddenly felt guilty and she looked down, fiddling with her fingers.

“Then she’s wrong. He couldn’t have done this! He…” Steve ran a hand through his hair and looked at Imani with a gaze so hard and cold it made Imani’s hairs stand on end. Then, with a glare to Fury, he stormed out. Fury followed him and Imani looked down. “He hates me…”

Coulson and Clint put a hand on her shoulders. “Steve’s too nice to hate anyone.” Coulson said. “Yeah. He’s just riled up. He doesn’t hate you. He just has too many emotions right now.” Clint added. Imani sniffled and wiped away a lone tear. Imani didn’t look up as the door opened. “Tony don’t start in on her. She’s-““Relax Barton. I’m not mad anymore.” Imani looked up to see Tony dressed in a gray suit. “I just have one thing. Did it really work like a charm?”

Imani chuckled. “Yeah Stark. It did. I’m really sorry-“He held up a hand. “Kid its fine. I’m just glad you got out safely.” He smiled and patted her knee.

 

Imani swept up the pieces of broken glass into the dustpan while Clint and Coulson fixed the bullet holes in the wall. Tony took downstairs, both to fix the damage and check on the prototype. Steve hadn’t returned to the Tower, along with Natasha, Bruce, Thor, and Loki. But they were still on missions, as said by Jarvis. Finally, after a few hours, the Tower was somewhat cleaned.

“When are the others getting back Coulson?” Imani asked, lying on the couch.

“Well, Thor and Loki are in Asgard doing who knows what and Natasha and Bruce are doing a classified mission which, if all goes well, they will be back in two days.” Imani nodded.

She heard footsteps and Clint say, “Tony! Go get dinner.” “Why the hell do I have to do it?”

“Cause Steve’s not here.” Coulson, Clint and Imani said in unison. Imani heard Tony groan and sigh. “Fine. What’s for dinner?”

“Burritos.” Coulson said and Imani turned to look at him. “What? I want a burrito…” He shrugged.

“I’m good with burritos.” Imani said and sat up to look at Clint. “Get me Chinese.” Clint said. “Alright. Burritos and Chinese. And, because I feel so nice today, I’ll stop and get dessert.” “Yay.” Imani said in a monotone voice.

Tony left, leaving Imani, Clint, and Coulson alone. Imani sighed and rested her head on a nearby couch pillow, muttering, “I never thought Steve Rogers could hate anyone…”

“Hey. We told you Steve doesn’t hate you. He’s just got a lot in his system right now…” Clint said patting her head. There was the sound of footsteps and Imani looked up only to be met with the Super Soldier himself. He was wearing a white shirt and brown khaki pants.

Imani’s heart raced and she slowly sat up. “Steve. Where’ve you been?” Clint asked. “Running…working out at the gym. Where’s Tony?” “He went to go get dinner.” “What’s he getting?” “Chinese for me and him and burritos for Imani and Coulson.”

Steve made an “Hm” sound and walked in the hallway. Imani sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest.

 

 

Imani sighed, staring up at the ceiling. It was around midnight and the boys had fallen asleep; Coulson going to his place at SHIELD. She was positive Steve hated her, despite what Clint and Coulson had told her. During dinner, Steve hadn’t even made eye contact with her, let alone conversation. Imani sat up and pulled the cover off of her. She walked out of her room, dressed in a white tank top and black shorts. She walked to the elevator and pressed the top button. The doors closed and she leaned against the wall, sighing.

The doors dinged and she walked out. The lights of New York glittered and shined below her. She sat on the edge, letting her legs dangle as a small breeze picked up. She heard footsteps behind her and turned. Her heart dropped and she quickly stood up. The man with the mechanical arm stood a few feet away from her, staring at her intently. “What the hell…? How’d you-“ “Shut up.” The man snapped and Imani was silent.

“Steve Rogers…” “He’s inside…” Imani said, swallowing hard. “No. He’s not.”

_Son of a bitch Steve…_

The man moved closer and Imani wanted to step back. But one step backward would sent her spiraling down toward the New York sidewalk.

_Shit shit shit_


	10. Calming Down

“H-He’s probably out for a run…” Imani said softly, more to herself than the man. The man moved closer and Imani swallowed hard. “Do you know where?” The man asked. Imani shook her head. “Then you’re of no use to me.” “Wait!” Imani shouted, putting up her hands. “Who are you?! Why are you targeting Steve?” The man stared at her and for once, he looked confused. Lost.

“I…I know him…I-I…we were friends…” Imani cocked her head slightly. “What’s your name?” She asked, slowly walking toward him. Although their eyes never left each other, he allowed her to move.

“….James Barnes…but…people…they called me Bucky.”

Imani’s eyes went wide and it felt as if her body was plunged into ice water. _No way…_

“Bucky…?” He nodded. Imani slowly closed the gap between them. “Is that why you’re looking for Steve?” He nodded again. “Steve…has the answers…I-I can’t remember…”

“So…if you were just looking for Steve…why did you attack me?”

“Instinct…and I really don’t like to be watched…” The man smiled, but it was broken and sad. Then, he looked at her shoulder. “I didn’t hurt you too bad did I?” Imani shook her head. “No! No…just a simple bullet wound.”

He looked down at the ground and Imani placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “C’mere.”

She led him to the edge and sat down, patting the space next to her. “You…aren’t going to push me off are you?” He asked, cautiously sitting beside her. “No. I just want you to look at this view and tell me what you see.”

Imani sighed and looked out at the city. “I see…the old place where I grew up…” He pointed. “There was a movie theater there…and a bakery there…” Bucky sighed. “So much has changed…” “That’s how the world works…Changes are made…like people…no one stays the same way forever.”

“Are you going to stay here?” Imani asked after a moment of silence. “If Steve…would let me.”

“That can easily be arranged…” Imani sighed and muttered. “Hopefully he won’t hate me now.” Bucky looked at her, his head cocked slightly. “Steve hates you? Why?” Imani sighed and laid on her back, staring up at the sky. “Because I told SHIELD about you…I mean Steve talks about you all the time, but I hadn’t seen a picture of you since I don’t like to talk to him that much unless he brings it up. And…now he hates me…” Imani sighed and her eyes became glossy.

Bucky placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and offered a comforting smile. “Well if it makes you feel any better, I don’t hate you for ratting me out…I mean I kind of deserve it for almost trying to kill you.” Imani let out a small chuckle and, using his other hand, gently wiped away her tears. Imani rested her head on his shoulder and he tensed. Finally, after a minute, he carefully put his arm around her shoulders. “Aren’t you afraid?” He whispered.

Imani looked up at him and placed a gentle hand on his cheek. “No. You’re confused…lost…All you need is a friend…There’s nothing scary about that…” She smiled and pulled her hand away from his cheek, looking out at the lights.


	11. .....I'm Back

“No!!” Imani shouted giggling. “Oh look. Now you’re even sweeter.” Bucky said, smiling. Imani huffed and grabbed a dish rag, wiping away the powdered sugar on her face. Bucky set the last piece of French toast on the plate and sighed. “Done.” “You mean I am. You, sir, did not do a thing except throw powdered sugar on me and occasionally eat pieces of bacon.”

Bucky grinned and grabbed a plate, grabbing 3 pieces of French toast and a few strips of bacon. “Save some for the rest of us.” Imani said, snatching French toast from his plate. He looked at her and grinned. “It’s only us.” Since the Tower was empty (Hawkeye on a mission, Coulson at SHIELD, and Tony at a business meeting in Miami), they were alone. Steve was out. Imani didn’t know where but for now it didn’t matter.

“Exactly. Save some for me.” She made the man cut his hair, which was now cut and propped up in a military shaved head type of thing. She also made him dress in regular clothes instead of his HYDRA getup, wearing a simple white shirt and blue jeans. If she was going to be perfectly honest with herself, she found herself liking Bucky more than she probably should. I mean…he did try to kill her.

She watched as Bucky leaned over the counter eating his breakfast and looked at his muscles through the shirt he was wearing and vaguely wondered what he would look like in a suit.

Or more importantly, how his orgasm face would look.

She swallowed her French toast just as Bucky turned, resting his elbows on the counter and leaning against it, smirking.

“What?” He hoisted himself up and slowly walked toward her, gently rubbing his thumb over her chin. She couldn’t stop herself as much as she tried.

Her hands went to the back of his neck and pulled his lips down, crushing her own. Instantly, Bucky’s hands grabbed her waist, digging at the skin. She whimpered which was engulfed by Bucky’s mouth. The kiss was a hot and needy one, full of teeth and tongue. Her fingers crawled up into his hair and tugged on it, causing the man to harshly pull away. A moment of silence passed.

“Shit…I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I just couldn’t-“Her sentence was cut short by Bucky’s mouth, this time in a slower and deeper kiss. His hands cupped her cheeks and her arms wrapped lazily around his neck. Bucky slowly pulled away and swallowed hard, a blush creeping on his cheeks.

“Is it weird that I’ve been dying to kiss you…?” He whispered.

“Well I mean…you’ve already died once so yeah. It’s a bit weird.” Imani said smiling. He chuckled and kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Can we get a dog?” Imani suddenly asked after a moment of silence. Bucky looked at her, an eyebrow arched. “A dog?” Imani nodded. “Yeah.”

“Why do you want a dog?” “Why not?” He smiled.

“Fine. But if we get a dog, you have to do one thing for me.” “That can easily be arranged. What is it?”

He looked down and gently took her hand, raising it up to his lips to kiss the back.

“Move in with me.”

 

 

They sat on the edge, silently eating sandwiches, fruit, and potato chips. “So will you move in?” Bucky asked, biting into a grape. Imani looked at Bucky and sighed.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Bucky’s jaw clenched and Imani placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s just…I’m an Avenger. What if something happens and I can’t get to it on time? Plus there are times where I’m on missions and I will be gone.” He sighed, biting into a strawberry and looking out at the sunset.

“Do you hate me?” Bucky turned to her, confused.

“Hating you for doing your job?” Imani shrugged half-heartedly and Bucky grinned.

“My god you’re so cute.” Imani blushed and gently pushed Bucky’s shoulder.

“Shut up.” “Make me.” Bucky countered. Imani chuckled and pulled at his shirt collar.

“Happy to.” Imani pulled Bucky into a kiss, his lips cold and tasting like sweet strawberries.

“Imani? What the-who is this?!” The kiss abruptly ended and both heads turned to find a certain blonde super solider staring at them with wide eyes and a confused face.

“Well…” Bucky muttered, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Not how I planned to say ‘I’m Back’…but it’s better than nothing right Rogers?”


	12. Dad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All I have to say...BRUCE BANNER DOES NOT GET ENOUGH LOVE SO THIS CHAPTER IS ALL ABOUT HIM.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bruce Banner....nuff said.

“Woosh…” She said softly, watching the paper airplane fly downwards into the sea of New York lights. Bruce chuckled and continued to make another airplane. “Why did you decide on having me do this with you?” Bruce said softly as the girl wrote a simple message on the wings of the plane.

“Why wouldn’t I? Steve, Bucky, and Nat are all talking to one another, Clint’s who knows where, and Tony’s in the lab. You’re the only one in this tower who knows how to make a kickass airplane.” Imani tucked her arm back and let the airplane soar, a smile on her face. Bruce chuckled. That much he couldn’t deny.

“Besides…I’ve missed you Dad.”

Bruce’s heart lurched at the simple word. He paused at making an airplane to turn his head toward the 18 year old, who was currently busy coloring a drawing. He swallowed a lump in his throat and forced himself not to cry.

Imani’s only ever called Bruce ‘Dad’ one other time, and that was when the other guy decided to break through.

Bruce didn’t know how it sparked or what had happened (unfortunately him and the other guy don’t really share memories.) But whatever sparked the scientist, Imani had been in direct path.

She hadn’t seen it coming. One day she was walking through a SHIELD hallway (as a training field rookie no less) and next thing she knew, she was being rushed at by a huge green monster. Quickly, she bolted out of the way, diving behind a nearby desk. A few SHIELD agents pulled out their guns, one of them being Maria Hill.

“Bruce! You need to calm down!” Maria shouted. That only agitated him more and he rushed toward her. She was aiming, fingers squeezing the trigger.

“DAD NO!” Bruce’s eyes flashed and for a second he was himself. He turned to the voice to find Imani, concern on her face. Slowly, she walked toward him. “Imani-“She held up a hand to Hill and whispered softly, “He won’t hurt me…”

Slowly, Bruce was returning to himself, the green on his skin fading. Imani placed a gentle hand on his cheek and smiled gently.

“Bruce…” Bruce’s head snapped up and wetness covered his cheeks. He wiped his eyes and smiled. “Sorry…I ruined it…” Bruce said holding up the paper plane with a few drops of tears.

“What were you thinking about?” Imani asked.

Bruce said nothing, fumbling with the plane in his hands.

“That’s classified.” Imani smiled. “Ok Fury.”

They chuckled and Imani stood. “Are you coming inside?” Bruce shook his head. “Think I’ll stay out here for a bit.”

Imani nodded and walked toward the elevator.

Bruce watched her go and then looked down at the paper plane. He grabbed a pencil and started drawing and coloring it with the few colored pencils scattered around.

Finally, he smiled and placed a small kiss on the wing before letting it fly.

“Whoosh…”


	13. Tea Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> REALLY SORRY ABOUT THE NOT UPDATING
> 
> MY MIND WAS IN A TOTAL BLANK AND I COULDN'T THINK OF ANYTHING PLEASE DON'T KILL ME
> 
> Here have a sad Bucky chapter!!

Bucky sat on the couch, dark bags under his eyes and his gaze staring blankly ahead. “Here.”

A mug of tea was set down before him and he stared at it, before turning to Imani.

“You don’t have to stay up. Go to bed.” He said softly.

“Not until I know you’re ok.” She said softly and rested her head on the arm of the couch.

“Drink.”

The blanket slipped off his shoulders and he took the cup in his hands. Warmth spread through his body…well part of it. He took a hearty gulp, shivering slightly at the sudden warmth.

Imani was dozing off, cheek in her hand and feet resting on the edge of Bucky’s legs.

“You’re tired.” He said setting down the mug.

“Mmm…so are you.” She sleepily murmured. Bucky swallowed and his jaw clenched. “I’m tired of a lot of things.”

Imani slowly sat up; yawning and rubbing sleep form her eyes. Bucky stared at her, eyes glancing up and down.

“You do realize that you’ll be losing sleep because of me.” “Bucky I’ve lost sleep even before you came around. I can handle this.” She placed her hand on his knee and gave him a gentle smile.

That’s when he lunged.

The kiss was needy and raw; filled with teeth scraping against one another and tongues clashing. Shirts (and only shirts) were discarded. Bucky needed her. He needed the feeling of another one’s skin pressing against his own. It was as if she was the only thing holding him to this Earth at this moment in time.

His hands were splayed against the middle of her back, nails digging in, causing her back to arch and press her body into his.

God she was so warm.

The thing about it was that this was meant to be in no way sexual and Imani knew that. This…was to fill the void.

All the loneliness, the sadness, the feelings of those empty days was compiled into this moment.

The way his hands urged her body closer.

The way his arms held her tight so she couldn’t break free.

Even the kiss. The raw kiss was nothing more than all of his feelings put together.

And she was all right with that.

He pulled away harshly, panting and lips looking bruised. Hers were probably bruised too.

She straightened out her hair with her fingers and looked around for her shirt.

“I’m…I-“ “No need to apologize.” Imani said, grabbing her shirt from a nearby chair and pulling it on.

“Y-you aren’t…mad?” Imani looked at him and sighed.

“Bucky-“ “You are mad. I-I’m so sorry. I was…there were too many emotions piling up and I couldn’t control them and you were here and I just…”

He ran his hands through his hair and his face slumped into his hands.  She sat down beside Bucky and said softly, “I’m not mad.” “Don’t lie to me please.” His voice cracked and his cheeks were shiny with tears.

“I’m not lying.” She whispered. “You don’t have to explain why you did it…just…promise me something ok?”

He looked up at her. “Warn me next time?”

He sniffled and nodded once. “Ok.”

Imani patted his knee and got up, tossing a “And finish that tea” over her shoulder.

He grabbed the cup and downed the last of the tea. Somehow the lukewarm drink made him feel slightly better.

He didn’t know how or why, but it just did.


	14. Outing with Tony

“C’mon kid! Up and at em’!” Imani groaned and pulled the blanket over her face. “No way you’re getting off that easy!” Suddenly, Imani was hoisted up and tossed over Tony’s shoulder.

“Tony put me down!” Imani shouted hitting Tony’s back.

“Only because you need to get dressed.” Tony said setting the girl down. “Why do I need to get dressed?”

Tony blinked and stared at her as if she was crazy. “I’m taking you out with me today.”

“Why so early though?” Imani whined. “It’s like 11!” Tony shouted.

“Too early!” She whined.

“Just go get dressed! Clothes are in your room already.” Imani sighed and walked into her room, noticing the white sundress, white heels, and sunglasses resting on her bed.

Imani took a shower and washed her hair, drying herself off and putting on the dress. It looked nice on her, even though she wasn’t the type to wear them. She straightened her hair and blow dried it. She combed it down and pulled on the sunglasses, walking back to the kitchen.

“Where are we going?” She asked, slipping on the heels. It was only then that she noticed Tony in a nice cut black suit. “Out.” He said simply.

Imani huffed and pulled on the sunglasses.

 

As Tony drove, he said, “I feel as if we don’t hang out anymore.” Imani nodded once. “True. But that’s cause your always down in the lab only, if ever, coming out for food.”

Tony chuckled and pulled up to an Italian restaurant. He led Imani inside and they sat in a booth near the window.

“Ok there’s an actual real reason I brought you out today.” Imani stared at Tony.

"I need advice.” “About…?” Tony looked around, as if someone would hear, and sighed softly. “Pepper…I-I want her back…” Imani wasn’t too surprised at the statement. “It makes sense. You’ve looked so lost without her.”

“What can I do…?” “Well…for starters Stark you could’ve taken her out like this instead of me.”

Tony blinked once before putting his head onto the table and groaning. Imani smiled and patted his head.

He groaned again as the waitress walked over. She glanced at Tony and asked, “Is he ok?”

“No!” Tony shouted. Imani shrugged and gave the waitress a ‘he’s having a bad day’ look.

“What’s your poison today Tony?” Imani asked, resting her elbows on the table. “Whiskey.”

“Whiskey. A Diet Coke for me and water for him to go with the whiskey.”

“No water!” “Damnit Tony! You’re getting water!” “Fine..” He grumbled, head still on the table and not rose up.

The waitress was holding back a laugh. “And food?” “No food!” Tony shouted.

“Anthony Motherfucking Stark. You are getting food. If you don’t say anything in the next second I will get you what I am getting in a fucking to-go box and you will eat it.”

By now the waitress is in a fit of giggles. “Guess we’re both having lasagna.”

The waitress scribbled it all down, muttering, “I love this job” under her breath.

“You are a five year old I swear.” “Shut up and bring this five year old his whiskey.”


	15. No Pain No Game Part 1

“Yay you’re back!” Imani shouted from her place in the couch. She clenched her teeth at the pain and Loki, noticing her discomfort, quickly rushed over to her. “Are you alright? Did something happen?”

“J-Just my foot.” Imani smiled, but yelped as Loki ran his thumb over her toe. “It is swollen…and turning a drastic purple black color…” Loki’s eyes widened and he turned to Natasha, who was leaning over the girl. “It’s throbbing…” “And it hurts…” Imani moaned. “What have you done to help her?”

“She said it was fine…but obviously it’s not.” “It’s just pain. I’ve been through worse.” Imani said through clenched teeth. “We’ve scheduled an appointment with S.H.I.E.L.D’s medical facility tomorrow.”

Loki nodded and sighed. Imani heard the sound of laughing. Steve, Bucky, and another man walked in. He was a dark skinned man with a buzz cut and wore a green shirt with a sweat stain on it and blue jeans. “Bucky! Steve!! Other guy!!” Imani shouted. Bucky, who was smiling at Steve. But as soon as he noticed the girl currently clenching her teeth in pain, he rushed over to Loki’s side.

“I can’t leave for an hour before you’re hurting yourself.” Bucky muttered. “Bucky I’m ok. Just pain.”

“Doesn’t look like just pain.” Steve said and turned to the man. “What do you think Sam?”

Sam stood next to Natasha and inspected the girl’s foot. “Doesn’t look good…you-““Schedule her appointment? Yes.”

“I don’t need one.” Imani grumbled. “Yes you do. You’re obviously hurt.” Loki and Bucky said in unison.

“You even walk with a limp. Something’s wrong.” Natasha added. Imani huffed, her sigh shaky.

“You’re scared.” Loki said, causing Imani to curl into a ball. “Am not.”

“You are…” Bucky whispered.

“What do you have to be afraid of?” Steve asked.

“Everything!” Imani suddenly shouted, sitting up from her place on the couch. “This has never happened to me! All the pain, bruises, even scars go away in about a week! This hasn’t healed, is slowly turning different shades of colors, and I cannot even walk!” Tears welled in her eyes and flowed down her cheeks. “Who knows what will happen! What if my foot has to get amputated?! What if I somehow get bone marrow in my blood stream and die?! What if I lose too much blood?!”

“Stop! That will not happen!” Eyes turned to Natasha, who had her eyes shut and clutching the couch.

“You don’t know that Tasha…none of you does…”

Silence floated around the room. “You’ll just have to wait tomorrow.” Imani looked up at Sam who was looking at her intently.

“I’ll go with you if you don’t mind.” “Please?” Imani asked, her voice small and weak.

“Sure.” Sam looked around the room. “What time’s the appointment?” “Around 4.”

“Alright then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so this chapter is a bit personal considering my foot is actually swollen and throbbing with pain and actually a blackish purple color....Anyways yeah the next chapter will be the doctor's visit.


	16. No Pain No Game Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doctor's visit!

Imani sighed, scrolling through her Tumblr feed and her heart pounding with all of the possibilities that could easily go wrong.

"You'll be ok." Sam said and patted her hand. She let out a shaky breath and nodded. Coulson stood beside her, patting the girls shoulder. One of SHIELD's medical staff walked in, a comforting smile on her face.

"What seems to be the problem?" "My toe is swelled and there's an infinite amount of pain." "Hmm." Imani winced as the medical staff examined her toe.

"Well...there's two options. You can either have a shot where we can numb the pain and open the toe to take out the pus" Imani's hand found Sam's and she squeezed it hard. "Or...we can give you antibiotics and simple instructions to calm the pain and the swelling..." Imani swallowed hard and asked, "W-where would the needle go?" The staff sighed and said, "Right at where the infection is receiving the most pain."

"Let's go with the antibiotics." Imani said quickly.

After a few discussions and precautions (along with a simple flu shot), Sam and Imani left. As Sam drove, he couldn't help but look at the distraught teenager. "Hey....everything will be ok."

Imani sighed and nodded. "The staff wouldn't give you simple antibiotics and foot soaks every hour if it wasn't something that could be treated." Imani looked at Sam and nodded again. "Look....you will be ok."

Imani texted Steve, asking him to meet her outside of the Tower and if he could carry her inside. Sam pulled up to the Tower and helped Imani out. Steve rushed out, scooping up the teen bridal style, careful of her right foot. "Thank you Steve...you too Sam..."


	17. Family Time

"Yeah I mean she's a trooper. Course I can barely feel my fingers now." Steve and Sam chuckled while Imani blushed and hit Sam on the shoulder.

"I warned you that I was going to need your hand." Sam hummed and nodded, taking a swig of his beer. "But it hurt so badly. I thought it would never end." "Well you're here now and that's what matters." Steve said.

Imani smiled and looked out at New York. Tony decided that they should have a picnic on the roof and they all agreed. There was a table full of food; mashed potatoes, pizza, bowls filled with chips, popcorn, and other random snacks, and even a tray filled with desserts and every flavor of Poptarts that were in the supermarkets (obviously made by a certain Asgardians request).

Imani sipped at her lemonade as Tony shouted, "Burgers and hot dogs are ready!"

"Ah picnic food is always great." Sam said and Imani agreed as she got a hot dog and a scoop of mashed potatoes. "It's always my favorite type of food."

"We need to do this more often. Seems like we never get time like this anymore." Imani commented as she sat beside Sam. "Well yeah. You guys are the Avengers." "I know. But it seems like we don't get time with each other." Sam nodded as she bit into her hot dog, wiping away ketchup form her mouth.

Sam looked around. Tony and Steve were at the grill arguing no doubt. Bruce and Loki sat off to the side talking about who knows what. Most likely books.

Clint and Natasha were off to the side sipping at beers and talking at hushed whispers. Thor was munching on Poptarts and examining the stereo which was currently playing some overplayed pop song that no one seemed to notice.

"Seems like it to me." Imani looked at Sam. "Yeah you guys have to go on missions and not see each other for long periods of times. But...when you guys do get together...it's like you cherish these moments." Imani swallowed her mashed potatoes and looked around smiling. "Well yeah. We're a family as different as we are." Sam cocked his head, biting into a potato chip. "Bucky and Steve are from different time periods, Tony's a genius who won't let many people venture into his emotions, Loki and Thor aren't even from this world, and Clint and Natasha have history that no one knows about."

"What about you?" Imani chuckled. "What about me?" "Who are you in this family?" Imani giggled. "That's easy. I'm the baby. The one the family needs to protect at all costs no matter what happens." Imani gulped down the rest of her lemonade and smiled.

"Although, being the baby does suck sometimes. They think I can't handle myself but I can." Imani sighed and shrugged. "What are ya gonna do? I love these guys and they love me. Just wanna protect me."

Imani looked around once more and grinned.

"And I'm ok with that."


	18. Hydra

_Gravel crunched under Imani’s feet as she walked. The streets were abandoned; nothing but burning cars, crumbling buildings, and chunks of debris. She noticed that she was barefoot, but paid no mind._

_Her eyes were staring straight ahead as her body moved slowly and careful to avoid hazards. Almost as if she was in a trance. As if she was not controlling herself. There was a voice in her ears, beckoning her closer and closer._

_“Keep going. That’s it.” She didn’t know the voice, but it made her feel safe. Warm. She walked a few more steps and came to a halt. The silhouette of a person stood there casted in a bright light. She didn’t recognize the shape of the person’s body, but deduced that it was a man. Late 20’s. Looked at if they worked out a lot._

_The person came closer, dressed in a simple suit and tie. He gave a crooked smile and his lips spoke._

_“Hail Hydra.”_

 

Steve was surprised to see the teen awake as he returned to Stark Tower from his 5am run. She looked distressed, huddled in a blanket and staring blankly at the TV, which was showing some kind of cartoon he didn’t recognize.

“What are you doing up?” The sound startled her and she jumped eyes wide.

“Couldn’t sleep….” Her voice was soft and Steve noticed a folder on the table. It had the words ‘Winter Soldier’ on it and its contents were spilled out onto the table. He swallowed. “Researching?”

Imani cocked her head a bit and then looked at the contents on the table. “I…wanted to know about Hydra…”

His breath caught in his throat and his jaw clenched. He could almost feel the slow hardness his eyes were giving the girl. “Why?” The tone of his voice was harsh and Imani visibly tensed.

“I-…I had a dream.” Her voice became small and Steve swallowed, trying to ease his anger. “T-There was a man standing there…he said Hail Hydra…I-I’ve never seen him before…”

“What did he look like?” Steve asked softly, sitting beside her. “It was just a silhouette…couldn’t see him fully…He looked to be in his late 20’s…he works out a lot…” Imani shivered and pulled her legs up to her chest.

“I’m scared Steve…” It took Steve a moment to realize how much this teen has been afraid. A tear rolled down her cheek, then another, until she was sobbing. It took him a second to pull her face into his shoulder and rub her back as she cried. “D-Does this means…I-I’ll become Hydra?” Steve’s body went cold and he froze. He pulled the girl away and stared right into her eyes, which were glossy with tears.

“Do not. Ever. Say that. You will never become Hydra.” Imani stared at Steve and he wiped away her tears.

“I will make sure of it.”

 

The next morning, Imani knocked softly on Bucky’s door. “Bucky…? Are you awake?” The door swung open and he stood there wearing no shirt. “Did you need something?” Imani let out a shaky sigh and swallowed hard.

“I need you to tell me everything about Hydra…”


	19. Kidnapped

Imani sat alone in her room with the pale moonlight casted down upon her. With her knees up to her chest, she recounted the talk she had a few hours ago with Bucky.

_“Why would you want to know about….them?” His face was stone cold and his voice was ice. “A-a man…he came to me in a dream…said Hail Hydra and-“Bucky pulled her into the room without another word, slamming the door shut and locking it._

_“Who was the man?” “I-I couldn’t see him…only a silhouette of him…” She realized how small her voice was and how it trembled. Bucky must’ve noticed too because, like Steve, he made his voice low and calm. He sat next to her on the bed and swallowed before speaking._

_“Hydra…they’re not good people. You know that….After the fall, they found me…I had lost the majority of my memory and my arm…They fixed me up, gave me food…It was all ok for a while….” His face suddenly dropped._

_“And then the injections happened….They injected me with unknown serums and experiments…every time I tried to remember something- my old life or Steve- they would hurt me…torture me. Tell me that’s not who I was…not anymore. I was their puppet. Something they could control. After….Steve recognized me in our battle…the Hydra people started to inject more things into me and torture me even more and even worse than before. I struggled. I fought asking who I was. Pleading for them to tell me….but all they did was inject me, torture me until I forgot, and then sent me back into battle…”_

_“I’m telling you this for your own good…and because I don’t want you to end up like me…Please…Do not get involved with Hydra.”_

She had promised him she wouldn’t and Steve had promised he would protect her. But….what if he couldn’t? What if she couldn’t keep her promise to Bucky? Imani hugged her knees tighter and she let out a shaky breath. “I will not become Hydra…I will not become Hydra…” She muttered softly.

“Sure about that?” She jumped at the sound of the voice. A boy leaned against her windowsill, chin in his hands and a huge grin on his face. “Sorry…had to do it.” He hopped in and looked around the dark room. “Mind if I turn on the light?”

Imani could only nod. He flicked on the light and Imani took a good look at him. He looked to be about her age with jet black hair that fell past his ears and grazed his cheeks. His eyes were a light green and he wore an all-black jumpsuit. “Wow….we’re recruiting you….? Finally a pretty girl my age.” He crouched down toward my level and stared me in the eyes.

“Did you get our message?” Imani blinked and swallowed. “T-That…dream….” “It was the only way we could get to you without riling up the Avengers. Now c’mon.” He started to walk toward the window, but stopped when she didn’t follow. “C’mon beautiful. I really don’t wanna have to hurt you…and I mean that.” “I-I can’t….” He sighed softly. “Why not?”

“I’m not going to go with some boy who snuck into my room!” He looked up at her through his lashes.

“I’m sorry.” Before Imani could say anything, he lunged.

 

There were hushed whispers around her and her head throbbed. Everything was dark and she constantly saw white spots. She tried to open her eyes but her vision was blurred. She let her head drop and her eyes shut.

“Hey…hey wake up…” Something cold grazed her face and she instantly perked up, eyes shooting open and head snapping upward. Although her vision was still blurred, she recognized the boy’s voice. “Your vision should be coming back…” She blinked a couple times and took in her surroundings as they came into view. She was in a gray room complete with one single light. The boy squeezed water out of a towel and wiped her face.

“W-what…” “Shh. Here.” He handed her a cup of water and she took it, gulping it down. “I’ll be back soon.” With that, he was gone and she was alone.


	20. Plan

The boy came back a few hours later with a tray in hand and another man following behind him. He was dressed in a gray shirt and gray sweatpants. The boy sat the tray down in front of her and undid her restraints. But she didn’t move. She was too busy focused on the man. He smiled casually at her.

“Imani Brooks. Youngest member of the Avengers and trained by Natasha Romanoff. Can speak over 20 languages.” He nodded impressed. “No wonder we decided to use you.”

“U-use me…?” She asked softly. “Yes….Hydra needs more young agents.”

Hydra…She had been captured by Hydra.

“Surprised?” He chuckled and turned to the boy who was looking down at the ground. “Caleb.” The boy snapped his head up. “Explain to our new member the game plan.” With that he was gone. She felt Caleb’s eyes on her, but instead inspected the green apple on the tray.

Green…Loki…The Avengers….Her family…

Her eyes became glossy and she bit into the apple with anger. “I know…you probably hate me…” She swallowed and took another bite that emitted the most satisfying crunch that made the boy wince slightly.

“I lose a lot of potential girlfriends this way.” Imani let out a spiteful laugh and set the core down onto the tray. She unscrewed the cap on the water bottle and took a small sip. She had a feeling that Hydra would slowly stop giving her the essentials after a while, so she needed to ration what she could. She then moved to the sandwich.

“But anyways. The game plan. I’ll teach you the basics around here training and what not. Guide you through all of this…” She bit into the sandwich and swallowed. “Andd you aren’t talking to me….I deserve this.” She finished the sandwich and took another sip of water. She noticed a pillow and a couple blankets under the tray.

“You know a ‘thank you’ would be in order.” Caleb said as she walked over to the bed. There were two blankets one small and one large. She set the smaller blanket down on the cot and then draped the bigger one over herself and rested her head on the pillow. “Good night….” Caleb said standing. She turned away from him as he walked out, flicking off the one single light in the room.

 

*At the Tower*

“She couldn’t have just left could she?” Bucky asked, running a hand through his hair. Natasha and Clint looked over Imani’s room. “No…someone got her…” Clint said and examined her window.

“How do you know?” Thor asked. “I just know…Imani wouldn’t just leave like this without telling one of us.” Clint barked.

“Was she acting strange? Ask you guys anything that might be suspicious?” Natasha asked. Steve tensed slightly and if you weren’t looking directly at him you wouldn’t have noticed. But Natasha did.

“Steve…?” Steve swallowed. “She….was researching Hydra….” Bucky turned to Steve, eyes wide. “She asked me about them too…you don’t think she-“An ominous silence casted over the Avengers and the room suddenly felt as if it had gotten colder.

“S-She couldn’t have….” To everyone’s surprise, the statement came from Tony who had his arms crossed and was staring intently at the ground. “Hydra must’ve taken her. She couldn’t have ran off and found them. We need to get Fury on this and fast.” Tony strode out of the room and everyone exchanged glances before following.

“Not that I’m not all for this Tony.” Steve said as they all descended into the lab. “But why so defensive?” Tony glanced at Steve as he pulled up a FaceTime call. “That’s our girl damnit. And I will not let her die by those Hydra fuckers. Jarvis call Fury.”


	21. Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had SO MUCH FUN writing this chapter. Like I don't think you guys understand how much fun this was. I also hope that this chapter makes up for the like 3 weeks I didn't update.

The sound of the door opening woke her up. The light flicked on and she sat up, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. “Morning pretty lady. How’d you sleep?” Caleb asked, setting down an apple and orange in front of her.

She pulled off the cover and reached for the orange. “And you still aren’t talking to me…great.” He sighed and grabbed the apple and bit into it. She started to peel the orange. She wondered what time it was and what her plans for today were…well more like what Hydra plans for her to do. She bit into an orange slice, thinking.

The orange was tangy and sweet and slightly burned her lips. “I’m guessing you’re wondering what your plan is for today. Well it’s training. You and I will train so Hydra can test your skills.”

“How long are we training?” She asked sipping at her water from yesterday. “As long as they say.” He handed her a pair of black gym shorts and a gray tanktop. “You have 5 minutes.” With that statement, he walked out taking another bite of his apple as he left.

She changed into the clothes and walked out of the door munching on the last orange slice. The hallway was long and narrow, lit by a few bulbs and grazed with white tiled floors. “Ready?” Caleb was wearing the same gray tanktop as her, but instead of shorts he was wearing black skinny jeans.

She nodded and followed him down the hallway to a padded room, like the ones you see in asylums or mental hospitals.

“Alright. We’ll test your skills and see where you stand ok beautiful?” She rolled her eyes and Caleb smirked. “As long as I get to hit you, I’m good with whatever.”

Caleb rushed her and she noticed that his stance was slightly off. She quickly side stepped and tripped him, causing him to fall flat on his face. While he was down, she sat on his legs and pulled his hands behind his back. The heel of her foot was on the base of his neck, pressing gentle enough so that she wouldn’t kill him, but hard enough to where he could barely move his face. His voice was slightly muffled but she heard him shout, “Alright! You win!” She took away her heel from his neck and he took gasps of air. “Jesus…never thought fighting a girl would be this hot.”

“Never thought fighting a boy would be this easy.” She shot back slowly letting his arms go. She still sat on his legs so he couldn’t really move. He craned his head back to look at her, a grin on his face. “Am I allowed to hit you?” Imani asked. “You can…but c’mon beautiful. You wouldn’t hit me.” She hummed as she stood up, taking a few steps back. Caleb was about to move, but couldn’t. His eyes went wide and he stared at her. “See…I don’t think you noticed but the way I was sitting on your legs made them turn to jelly. So…you won’t be able to move for a good 10 minutes.” He turned on his back and swallowed hard, resting his back against the padded wall. She took a sip of water and watched as he complained. “I can’t believe this. I get sidetracked by a pretty girl and she turns my legs to jelly.” He glanced up at her and continued. “After all I did for her! I gave her food, a bed, the option to kiss me.” She rolled her eyes at the last remark. “And I don’t even get a thank you!” She started to say something but stopped. Her mind flashed with a perfect little plan to mess with him. “You’re right. I didn’t say thank you.”

“Exactly.” She set the water bottle down in the corner and walked back over to him. “I’m waiting.” He said, nose in the air. “Well normally I would say it while you were standing up but since you kind of can’t…” She sat down in his lap, wrapping her legs lazily around his waist and biting her lip to hold in her giggles at his shocked expression. “I guess I’ll have to improvise.” He swallowed hard as she ran a finger down his cheek, down his jaw, and back up to his chin. “Thank you.” She whispered. Her lips were centimeters away from his; one small move forward would press their lips together. “Think your boss will get mad if I kissed you…?” She felt his heartbeat quicken and he let out a strangled sigh. “Caleb.” She singsonged into his ear. His body slumped as a small whimper left his lips and she noticed his hand clutching the padded floor like his life depended on it. “You didn’t answer my question. Because I really wanna kiss you…” Her voice came out as a small desperate whine and Caleb stared at her through lidded eyes. “But…if you’re gonna get hurt from that…then I can’t…” She grinned. “Unless of course, I’m the one hurting you.” “Fuck you’re hurting me now.” He groaned. For a second she looked confused. “Am I?” “Like hell you are.” He looked around as if someone was watching and then whispered harshly into her ear. “These fucking pants are strangling the shit out the sudden “problem” I’m having.” She smiled and bit her bottom lip.

“Do I make you hard Caleb?” He grunted and she smiled. She stood up and walked a few steps away from him.

“Think you can still train with that “problem” of yours?” He just glared at her as she stood. He looked as if he wanted to kill her, which made her smile just a bit. He was about to say something, but the door to the padded room opened and the same man that wanted to recruit her walked in. “Impressive. Very very impressive. I see Ms. Romanoff taught you well.” Even though this man was Hydra, she couldn’t help the satisfied grin that formed on her face. He looked over at Caleb, whose skin (which was only to be described as a sun-kissed tan) were a bright red.

“Mr. Caleb. You’re one of the finest trainers in this sector.” He slowly walked toward him and Imani felt as if she was watching a friend get punished by their parent. Course Caleb wasn’t a friend and the parent in this situation was Hydra, so this punishment would be a little more severe. “How could you get so easily distracted?” The man said this casually as if talking about the weather. Caleb glanced at Imani, who gave a small smirk in his direction. Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, he gave a shrug. The man nodded and looked at Imani.

“Well Ms. Brooks. Seems as if you have vested our finest student.” Imani shrugged once. “Although you have only been here 2 days, you’ve shown excellent survival skills and training skills as well. I guess SHIELD has taught you well.” She could only nod. The man suddenly clapped his hands together. “Ms. Brooks have you gone undercover?” “Once. It was for a mission in Greece. We had gotten intel that…” She stopped suddenly and the man encouraged her to speak. “That…you guys…were plotting something.” The man nodded. “Usually we don’t have new members do anything this high level, but you’ve shown impressive results to me and the boss.” Imani was confused. “You aren’t the boss?” The man laughed. “Oh no! I’m only the boss of this level. The boss is a lot more higher ranked than I, much like SHIELD and their levels.”

“But anyways. The boss would like to see your skills out in the field. So you and Caleb shall be going undercover for 4 months in a small village in Italy.” Caleb looked at Imani, but she was looking directly at the man. She felt as if Hydra had something planned for her in Italy, but she couldn’t figure out what.


	22. Undercover Denial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok....so um if you guys haven't shipped Caleb and Imani yet THEN I HOPE YOU DO AFTER THIS CHAPTER BECAUSE I AM SHIPPING THEM SO HARD. I fucking love my characters (even though I am actually Imani cause its my real name and I can't think of girl characters on the spot so I end up using myself) and this is just perfect. Enjoy!

“Can’t we just track her? I mean she is an Avenger and I’m pretty sure we have the tech to-“Maria Hill turned to Steve with a face that can only be described as annoyance mixed with upset and sadness.

“Steve I know you’re upset and desperate to find her, but we have protocol here.” “Fuck protocol!” Tony screamed.

“Our friend is missing and you have not done a thing to try and find her!” Thor roared. He rose up Mjölnir but Loki placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. With a glare, he set his arm down and Loki led him off to the side.

Maria turned to Steve and Tony. The rest were back at the tower looking for more clues that could help them find Imani. “Look. If I had a choice in this you know I would drop everything and start immediately searching for Imani. But, Fury has things we need to do here.” Steve’s jaw clenched. “Where the hell is Fury?” Maria sighed and murmured, “Follow me.”

Tony slammed his palms of Fury’s desk, but the man didn’t budge an inch. “We NEED TO FIND HER. And you aren’t DOING A FUCKING THING.” Steve placed a gentle hand on Tony’s chest and nodded to Thor.

“Come Man of Iron. You need to calm down. The Captain shall take care of this injustice.” Tony looked at Thor and ran a hand through his hair. “Fine.” Both Thor and Tony walked out and Steve looked at Fury.

“Why aren’t you doing anything?” Steve asked. “Simple. I’ve got better things to do.” “What’s more important than one of yours getting captured by an enemy force who’s doing god knows what to her?” Although Steve’s face was calm, his blue eyes were fierce and cold.

Fury blinked at Steve before saying, “That’s classified.” Steve’s hands formed into fists and he breathed out slowly through his nose. “Fine.”

 

Imani sat next to Caleb, dressed in a strapless black dress with an emerald necklace around her neck and black heels to match. Her black hair was cut into a pixie hairstyle and she spritzed on a spray of perfume. The Hydra people even gave her the choice of contacts. She had picked out a light periwinkle color and felt good about how she looked. Caleb hadn’t said a word to her since they got on their flight to Italy. As the Hydra people were explaining her undercover identity and changing her style, she noticed that the boss of their sector, Thomas (whose name she had found out from the hairdresser) explaining something to Caleb. Whatever they discussed it caused Caleb to become cold and quiet towards her.

He was dressed in a crisp gray suit with a blue and white tie and brown dress shoes. His hair was disheveled and the ends were slightly cut, but it looked good on him. The people also gave him contacts and he chose a beautiful artic blue. As he stared out at the slowly rising sun, the light sparkled on his contacts and he looked perfect.

Imani sighed softly and pulled out her wallet. In it was the ID they had given her, about $1000 in Euros, credit cards and such. On her ID she was named Verna Harrington, age 21; birthdate was December 3rd, 1993. Seemed legit enough. She set her wallet into her small handbag and moved a strand of hair out of her face.

Thomas walked over, a smile on his face. He looked like a regular business man if you didn’t know he was Hydra. “We’re close to landing. Hydra has picked out a small house for you both and have taken your things there. You both know your identities right?”

Imani nodded and Caleb said softly, “Yes sir…”

“Perfect!” As the plane landed, Caleb suddenly grabbed Imani’s hand. Confused she looked at him as he slid a diamond ring on her finger. _“_ Addio miei figli. Goodbye my children.” Thomas said and smiled as Caleb and Imani headed off the plane. 

The house Hydra chose was on the outskirts of the city. Imani let out a huff and took a seat on the maroon couch seated in the middle of the room. Pulling off her heels, she watched as Caleb unfastened his tie and plopped down beside her. 

The inside of the house was white with a hardwood floor and small light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The living room consisted of the maroon couch, a flat screen TV, a glass coffee table and a couple of bookshelves. A doorway led into the kitchen which was small and homey. There was a sink with a marble counter along with a stove and even a brick wood stove. There were also a set of stairs which Imani guessed led to the bedrooms.

 Imani looked down at Caleb and ran a hand through his hair. He groaned in response and lifted his head up. “You know those hairdressers spent a good amount of time on this.” He muttered crawling into Imani’s lap. Imani hummed and continued to run her fingers through his hair. “I’m pretty sure they did. Also, if you’re going to lay on my lap atleast take off the suit and go put something else on. I don’t want it to get wrinkled.” He looked up at her and pouted. “But honeyyy. You’re comfortable. Are you going to make your fiancé change clothes?” Imani couldn’t help but both roll her eyes and crack a grin.  

“Yes. Now go change.” Caleb groaned and rested his forehead on her shoulder. “But I like being here with you…”  

Something about the way that he said it made Imani’s heart stop. There was a smile of both humor and seriousness on his face. And his voice sounded as if he actually liked being here with her, despite being undercover. 

His thumb grazed her cheek and she swallowed suddenly. “Although I love this violet color,” His hand rested on her bare shoulder and rubbed circles around a small birthmark. “I prefer your brown eyes.” Imani shivered.  

Caleb swallowed and slowly started to lean in.  

Fuck.

Fuck. 

Fuck. 

Quickly, Imani placed a finger on his lips and stared into his eyes. He was shocked and startled and, to her surprise, it hurt her. She gently pushed him away and he slowly straightened up but made no move to get up from her lap. “Why can’t I kiss you?” He asked softly. She didn’t say a word and couldn’t meet his eyes. “Imani. Look at me.” “No. Look we have our mission. There’s a garden party in a few hours and we should be getting prepared.”  

Caleb stared at her before standing. Imani quickly rushed upstairs and into the room, shutting it.  

Fuck. 

Fuck. 

Fuck.


	23. Difficulties

Imani slowly went through the suitcases Hydra had packed. In one of them held her clothes and the other held a few handguns. She smirked and scoffed. Imani wasn’t one to use guns that often unless she had to. Instead she used her fists. “Apparently Hydra did their research….”

She sighed and put a loaded handgun into her purse and sat down. She wondered what the Avengers were doing. They most likely figured out that she had been captured and who had captured her. Were they convoluting a plan to save her? Have they gotten SHIELD to help them? Have they gotten her location and were currently discussing a plan? Tears welled in her eyes and she quickly wiped them away as her door opened. Caleb stood in the doorway wearing the same suit on the plane. “C’mon.” Imani slid the strap onto her shoulder and both of them walked out of the house.

The garden party was beautiful; paper lanterns were strung up lighting the place in a fairytale glow. People were conversing idly amongst themselves and tables were filled with food. “What’s our mission again?” Caleb muttered softly as the pair slowly got closer to the party. Imani scanned over the surrounding area. There wasn’t much; a small cobblestone wall that would provide miniscule cover but would do if the event arises and a bunch of fast getaway cars in their disposal. “Locate a man named Anthony Gabrielson. Wealthy business man with places located in every part of the country.” “What does he market?” Imani couldn’t answer as they came up to the reservation booth. “Welcome. Names please?” “Mr. and Mrs. Harrington.” Caleb said smoothly. “Well almost sweetheart. Remember we aren’t married yet.” Imani said softly, hugging gently onto Caleb’s arm. The man gave a small smile. “Ah the Harrington’s.” The man checked off the names and made a motion for them to go inside. The pair thanked him and walked toward the garden.

“Gabrielson markets weapons. He’s got connections to every leader in the world besides Africa and a few small countries in Europe.” Caleb nodded and surveyed the garden. “There are about five guards.” He looked down at her. “You brought a gun right?” He whispered and Imani nodded. “Ok.” Caleb looked around and Imani felt him tense. “Dance with me.”

He looked down at her as if she was crazy. “You seem tense.” Imani’s eyes caught the ones of another man. He wore a black Armani suit and black dress shoes. He was holding a glass of champagne and had a flirtatious smile on his face. His raven black hair was a bit spiked up and had tanned skin. Imani turned back to find Caleb’s jaw clenched and, even though his lime green eyes were covered by his contacts, she could tell that they were dilated.

“Or would you rather that your fiancé find someone else to dance with?”

Caleb looked down at her and she arched an eyebrow as if to say “Well?” He squeezed her hand and led her out to the middle of the garden as a slow song as to play. “Tell me you atleast know how to dance.” She murmured as they slowly started to move. Caleb chuckled as his fingers danced on her waist. “Relax. Hydra has ballroom classes.” She smiled as he twirled her around. “Well it’s a good thing you paid attention.” She said as he dipped her and pulled her back up.

Suddenly, Imani felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to find the same man who had been staring at her. “Excuse me. I don’t mean to intervene Mr. Harrington, but I was wondering if I could borrow your fiancé for a dance?” Caleb’s jaw clenched again and his grip on her waist tightened. “I would love to…if I only knew your name.” She asked, letting her hand drop from Caleb’s. The man smiled and held out his hand. “During our dance.”

Imani glanced at Caleb, who was staring intently at the man. “Give me one second.” The man nodded and walked over to speak with a few people. “Hey. Are you alright?” “Perfect. Go dance with him.” Caleb snapped. “Whoa what’s gotten into you?” She asked. “Nothing. Go have a fucking dance. I’m gonna go have a drink and actually do our mission.” With that he stalked off to the bar, leaving Imani standing there in utter confusion.

Huffing, Imani turned around to see the man standing a few feet away. “I take it your husband isn’t too keen on our dance?” The man asked. Imani gave a sheepish smile.

“He gets jealous…” Imani’s voice trailed off as she took the man’s hand. He led her into the middle of the floor and they started to dance. “Well he shouldn’t be. I know how much you love your husband.” Imani nodded and forced a smile.

They danced for a few more minutes and Imani noticed a guard slowly coming close to Caleb.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“Worried?” The man asked noticing her discomfort.

If she called Caleb out, there cover may be blown. If she didn’t he’d get hurt. Imani had to act and act fast.

Imani turned back to the man and smiled apologetically. “I’m so sorry. I have to go.” Before the man could say a word, she heard the sound of crashing glasses and screams. Imani saw Caleb hovering over a knocked out guard and the other two were about to rush him.

“CALEB!” She screamed and he looked up. Noticing the guards, he shouted, “I got them! Go find Anthony!” Imani nodded and rushed out toward the parking lot. She noticed two guards climb into a black Porsche and she quickly pulled out her gun, shooting out the back tire as they sped off. Imani broke the window of the nearest car and hopped in. She started the car and sped off. The car was a few feet ahead of her. She pulled out her gun and shot at the back window. It shattered, revealing two guards with shotguns.

“Fuck!” She cursed and ducked as they blew out her window. Quickly, she fired shots and they fell down easily. The car swerved and drifted, making a high pitched screech as it crashed into a pole. Imani quickly stopped the car and rushed toward it gun drawn. The car door opened and a man stumbled out with his hands up. “D-Don’t shoot!”

“Anthony Gabrielson?” She asked, slowly moving toward the man. The man nodded meekly and Imani grabbed him, pushing him against the car. Another car suddenly came up and two men came out. Imani was about to fire, when she noticed the Hydra emblem on their suits. They took Anthony away and Thomas climbed out.

“Well done Ms. Brooks. You have great survival skills.” Imani nodded as Caleb jogged over. His suit was ripped and he had small cuts on his face and a forming bruise on his eye and cheek. “As do you Mr. Caleb.” Caleb nodded although Imani could tell he was about to collapse from what seemed to be pain.

“So wait. Why are we here for 4 months if that’s all we needed to do?” Imani asked. Thomas smiled and walked back to the van without a word. Imani watched the van drive away and instantly looked at Caleb. “Let’s get you home.”

 

“Here. This should help the swelling.” Imani said handing Caleb a cold water bottle. Caleb took it from her and placed it on his cheek. “Are you feeling ok?” She asked softly, sitting next to him on the couch. He nodded and flicked on the TV in silence.

Imani sighed and walked into the kitchen scanning over the contents in the fridge. She decided on making pasta and grabbed a pot and filled it with water. As she set the pasta noodles into the water and let it heat up, she walked back to the living room. “I’m making pasta…is that alright?” He only shrugged.

Okayy. She sighed and watched a cartoon on the TV. “Why did you dance with him?” Imani turned to Caleb, but he was staring straight at the TV. “Huh?” “Why did you dance with him?”

“To keep our cover. Besides, he seemed nice and I couldn’t have just said no.” “The hell you could’ve!” He shouted suddenly. The water bottle crashed on the floor and rolled away. “What-““That guy could’ve killed you! He could’ve done something to hurt you!” “And if he had I would’ve had it under control. Don’t think I can take care of myself?” She was trying desperately not to yell at him.

He stared at her and it took her a second to noticed that he had taken off his contacts so that his lime green eyes were blazing into hers. Then, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into a lustful kiss. His mouth completely dominated hers; tongue running over hers and exploring every part of her mouth along with throaty breaths escaping him.

She pushed him away and saw the crimson red lipstick that she put on before she left smeared on his lips.

“No. I don’t think you can take care of yourself. That’s why I’m here to do it for you.”

“Fuck you.” She snapped and stormed into the kitchen to finish up dinner.

As she made the pasta and handed it to him without a word, she walked back to the kitchen to eat.

She hated him. “Thinks I can’t take care of myself…fuck you.” She murmured under her breath. She set her dish in the sink and cleaned up the kitchen. She didn’t look at him as she walked upstairs and into her room. She took a shower and changed into a white shirt and silky blue pants. She crawled into bed repeating the same line over and over in her head.

You hate him.

You hate him.

…. But fuck. She’d be lying if she said that the sight of his lipstick smeared across his lips and that kiss wasn’t hot.


	24. Hail Hydra

Imani slowly woke up from the sunlight that poured in from the French balcony window. For a split second she forgot where she was. Then she started to remember the events that transpired from last night and her body sunk.

Her bedroom door opened and Caleb slowly poked his head in. “Fuck off.” She spat. His face dropped but he took in a breath and walked in her room, shutting the door behind him. “No. We need to talk.”

“Fuck. Off.” He sat on the edge of her bed and she climbed out, starting to walk toward the door. Caleb rushed toward the door splaying his body out against it. “We are talking about this now damnit.” His voice was low and set down a firm and commanding tone. Imani crossed her arms against her chest and huffed.

“What’s there to talk about? You don’t think I can take care and defend myself. That’s it.” She said walking back to her bed. “That’s not what I meant…” His voice trailed off as he ran a hand through his hair. “You said it yourself!” Suddenly she couldn’t hold herself back. “You think I can’t take care of myself in the field! You think that I can only survive with someone else to take care of me is that it?!” “Shit that’s not what I fucking meant!” “Then tell me Caleb! What the fuck did you mean?!”

He put his face in his hands and walked past her toward the balcony. She saw him clutching the balcony railing and she rolled her eyes. He came back a few minutes later and she just blinked at him, her face hard and cold. “Look…when I said that last night….you took it the wrong way…” She opened her mouth to speak, to go off at him and put him in his place. But instead fought the urge and closed her mouth. “And maybe I worded it wrong…but what you’re getting is totally wrong.”

“I’ve been with Hydra since I was 14. And…in all my times of training recruits and doing these survival missions. In all my times of dealing with different people…I’ve never, ever…wanted to both take care and to basically…fuck any of them that I’ve met.” He swallowed hard and she noticed a small flush of rose appear on his cheeks. “So…what are you saying?” Imani asked. She had a small grasp on what he was gathering.

“I’m saying…” He sighed and sat next to her on the bed. “I’m saying that I want to have you feel no pain and no suffering from any of this…and to also make you feel good sexually every now and again.” She couldn’t help but smile a bit. “But that still doesn’t excuse how you acted yesterday. Your jealousy is gonna get us killed.” He bit his lip and watched her as she walked into the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and washed her face. She walked out of the bathroom and met Caleb in the doorway. “You’re right. I was jealous.” His hands slowly traveled down her sides and stopped at her waist. “Let me make it up to you.”

If she wanted to, she could’ve easily stopped him from doing exactly what he was about to do.

But did she really want to stop him? His lips were warm and soft, tasting like cinnamon and a bit of hard apple cider. Her lips matched his own as her arms wrapped around his neck and her fingers ran through his hair. That must’ve set something off inside of him because his hands squeezed at her waist and pulled her body into his as their kiss became deeper and more passionate.

He constantly nipped at her bottom lip, causing her to squeak into the kiss. “Fuck that’s so hot…” He murmured as his tongue explored the inside of her mouth. His hands ran down toward her butt and squeezed it. She couldn’t help the moan that escaped her lips. The sound of ringing from Caleb’s cellphone made the pair pull apart. He stared at her in a daze and she walked over to the phone. “Hello?”

“Ms. Brooks. Pack your and Mr. Caleb’s things and meet us outside in 5 minutes.” “Why? What’s the problem?” He hung up and Imani looked at Caleb. “Pack your things. We have five minutes.” “Why?” Imani could only shrug.

“Do you have any more of these phones?” She asked holding up the flip phone. “I know.” She handed it to him and he went downstairs with his suitcase. She heard a smash and nodded, walking downstairs as well. The phone was in pieces on the floor. “Let’s go.” A black van was waiting for them and they rushed inside. “Sir. What’s the problem? Why are we leaving?” Caleb asked. Thomas looked at Imani. “It appears that SHIELD has figured out your location. So we are relocating as well.”

Imani’s body went cold and she slowly sat back against the wall of the van. “Where are we going?” Caleb asked.

They were close to finding her….She was close to being back with her family….

 

“We got her readings in a small house on the outskirts of Italy.” Natasha said as she tazed a guard. Steve threw his shield at a sniper and shouted, “Let’s go!” Tony flew off and Natasha, Clint, Hulk, Steve, and Bucky rushed toward the location. “Here!” Bucky busted down the door and everyone rushed inside. “All clear.” Natasha said and noticed a busted phone on the ground. “Guess Hydra knew we were coming.” She said.

“Nothing outside. They must’ve took off.” Tony said rushing in. Bruce, who was slowly trying to come down from being the Hulk, punched a wall. Tony patted Bruce’s shoulder. “We’ll find her Bruce. Don’t worry.”

“Can we figure out where they’re going now?” Steve asked. Natasha sighed. “We can try. If we track Anthony Gabrielson, we can probably track Imani as well.” Clint said and everyone nodded.

 

“If anything they’re tracking the man we captured in hopes that they will find me.” Imani said softly. Thomas nodded once. “So what are you saying?” “I recommend putting a tracker on Anthony and lead him away from here. I’m pretty sure SHIELD and the Avengers will follow him in hopes of finding me. But I’ll be somewhere else.”

Thomas clasped his hands together and rested his elbows on the desk, putting his chin on his hands. “Why are you doing this? Don’t you want to go back to the Avengers? To your family?”

“Well I mean it was pretty clear that you were going to do something similar to this anyways…so I decided to help out.” Imani knew there was another reason she was staying with Hydra, but she wasn’t saying it out loud.

“Interesting…how do you feel about Caleb Ms. Brooks?” Fucking fuck.

“He’s ok.” Imani said shrugging half-heartedly. “He really enjoys having you around you know.” “I can’t get emotionally attached to him. He’s Hydra and I’m SHIELD not to mention an Avenger. Two totally different organizations bent on destroying one another. It would never work out.” “Have you told him that?”

Imani was silent averting her gaze to anywhere but the man in front of her. “Ms. Brooks. I don’t know what you’ve heard about Hydra, but we treat every one of our agents like family. And if I feel as if a part of my family is in trouble, I will protect them.” Imani’s blood went cold and she swallowed. “Have I made myself clear?”

“Perfectly Sir…”


	25. Back Again

Caleb was waiting for Imani outside of the door. He was leaned up against the wall and trying to overhear the conversation between his boss and Imani, but it was unsuccessful. The door clicked and Caleb instantly stood up straight. Imani walked out, her gaze averted down to the floor. Her jaw was clenched and she looked as if she was thinking hard about something. “What happened?” “Nothing you need to concern yourself with.” She said walking past him. “Seriously.” He said jogging up beside her.

“It’s nothing. Let it go.” “It’s obviously something if you’re avoiding me.” He said. Imani sighed with her arms crossed over her chest. “Please…let’s not go through this again…I mean I understand why you wouldn’t talk for the first weeks of us meeting but I-“

“I’m sorry for falling in love with you.”

The words made Caleb stop mid-sentence.

Imani bit her lip to stop herself from breaking down. He looked so appalled, so shocked. His jaw was slightly dropped and she saw his eyes glisten. “I can’t fall in love with you. You’re Hydra and I’m SHIELD. An Avenger. We’re supposed to be fighting you.” Her voice was slow and was wrapped with hatred. She thought of Steve of Bucky. She thought about the stories Bucky told her about Hydra and the memories of Peggy Steve shared but his jaw always managed to tighten and his eyes went dark because Hydra fucked it up for him.

“You guys have fucked over me and my friends through the time this fucking organization was founded. Do you really think I could fall for a guy who’s involved in something like that?” She was shouting now, not caring if the ‘other boss’ heard her. Caleb started to speak but she held up a hand. “Answer is no.”

An alarm sounded overhead and the halls filled with rushing Hydra agents. “What the hell-?” Caleb shouted. “We’ve been ambushed!”

Imani’s heart soared and she almost cried from pure joy. She knew exactly who it was. As the last of the Hydra agents filled out, she moved to follow them but Caleb grabbed her wrist. Imani twisted herself and slapped him across the face. As he recoiled, she rushed down the same path as the Hydra operatives.

She wished that she find a fucking Hydra op-

She skidded to a halt. A lump formed in her throat and her eyes pricked with tears. She sunk to the floor, a huge grin breaking out on her face.

“Thor…”

The blonde haired Asgardian was in full armor and Imani forgot how much she truly missed the red cape. He stared at her as if he was dreaming. She rushed toward him, squeezing him into a bear hug and tears flowing down his face. “It is you!” He dropped Mjölnir and hugged her tightly. Usually Imani would’ve struggled and yelled at Thor. But the feeling only made her hug tighter.

“Come. I must inform the Captain at once.” Imani quickly grabbed a gun from a nearby knocked out Hydra agent and they paced through the hall. “Steve’s here?” “Yes. Along with the Man of Iron, Miss Romanoff, Mr. Barton, and Mr. Banner. Loki and the Man of Iron are waiting on the plane to make sure no guards get in.”

Imani and Thor turned a corner and found three Hydra agents waiting for them. Imani raised her gun and fired a shot into one’s neck and Thor threw Mjölnir at another. As Imani raised her gun to shoot the last one, he suddenly fell. Imani saw a few arrows in his back and Clint popped down from a nearby vent. Imani practically tackled the man in a hug, tears once again threatening to burst through. “Thank God.” He quickly pulled away from the hug and said in what seemed like a com, “Found Imani and Thor. We’re coming out. How’re the guards Nat?” “All captured. Steve found one boy with a red handprint on his cheek. He’s been struggling with us for a good hour now.”

“We’ll be out there in a bit.” Clint said and walked down the hall. “All the guards have been cleared. Some boy is causing a problem for us.” Imani knew who the boy was, but didn’t bother saying it out loud. The trio rushed outside. Bucky and Natasha were keeping watch over the group of Hydra agents that somehow made it out alive.

“Don’t take them on the plane. Just kill them. They’ll most likely have some kind of weapon or tracking device on them.” Imani said. “No time. If anything these guys have reinforcements.” Natasha said. Imani couldn’t help herself.

“But Nat!” She whined. Natasha glared at the girl, but Imani saw the faintest of smiles appear then disappear. “Let’s go.” They all rushed onto the plane and Nat ran straight to the cockpit. The jet slowly took off into the air and Imani collapsed onto a nearby bench.

“Tired?” A gentle voice asked. Imani looked up and saw Bruce standing there with a gentle smile on his face. The man’s eyes were bloodshot and his hair was in matted clumps. She figured that from the time she was missing up until now he had been in the ‘other guys’ form. Imani slowly stood up and pulled Bruce into a tight hug. Bruce hugged her tightly and she felt the man’s tears stain her shirt. “I’m so glad you’re ok.” He whispered.

“Aren’t we all.” Imani pulled away from the hug and saw Tony with a glass of champagne. “Seriously Tony? Drinking this early?” All he did was grin. “Hey Steve’s looking for you.” Tony said jerking his head behind him. Imani smiled and sighed, standing up and walking farther toward the back of the plane. Loki stood in front of a glass window, surveying the scene in front of him. “What are you doing?” Imani asked coming up beside him. “Observing. This mortal is only 18 and he managed to get into an organization as disgusting and as horrible as this.” Loki shook his head a few times. “It’s a shame.”

Imani watched as Steve sat in front of Caleb dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans. His back was turned to her so she couldn’t make out what he was saying. And Caleb wasn’t budging; no smiles, no sneers, nothing. No indication that he was listening or going to say a word. “Tony said that Steve wanted to talk to me.” Imani said after a bit. Loki nodded and tapped his finger on the glass three times. Steve turned and looked at Caleb before getting up and opening the door. When he saw Imani, he walked over to her.

“First off. Glad your back. Missed you like crazy. Secondly, who is this kid and how can I get him to talk?”

“His name’s Caleb. He’s been with Hydra since he was 14.” “Ok…but how can I get him to talk?” Imani shrugged.

“I don’t know.” Loki stared at Caleb with intense eyes. “Seems he only wants to see you.” Loki said turning to Imani. “How can you tell?” Steve asked. “I can dwell into mortal’s thoughts. You call it ‘mind reading’. And apparently all I saw inside that head was you. So maybe…” Loki’s sentence trailed off and Imani huffed.

She really really really didn’t want to go in there with Caleb. “What do you need him to talk about?” Imani sighed, her hand on the door handle. “Any information that could help us.” Steve said and Imani nodded.

Taking a deep breathe, she twisted the handle and walked into the room.


	26. Interrogation

The room was laced with tension as soon as she stepped inside. Caleb’s gaze never left her as she slid into the seat in front of him. She didn’t like that the only thing separating them was a table. She wanted Steve or Loki or even Tony to be in there with her. Being alone with Caleb made her feel uneasy.

Imani couldn’t find anything to say, no matter how much her mouth opened only to be awkwardly closed again. What could she say? She noticed the red handprint on his cheek that was slowly fading and a wave of guilt came over her.

“I love you.” As soon as those words were said, the room suddenly felt as if it plummeted into a sea of ice. Goosebumps peppered her arms and she swallowed hard.

His face was stone cold as he spoke those same words again. “I love you. And I won’t ever stop no matter what. Even if you take me to SHIELD Headquarters. Even if you send me back to Hydra. Even if you kill me, I will not stop loving you.” With every sentence his body moved forward and Imani was grateful that he was handcuffed. His lime green eyes flamed with such an intense fire that it made Imani shiver.

She finally gathered her thoughts and spoke. “You aren’t here for that. You’re here for information.” He stared at her before leaning back in his seat. “Why? You were at Hydra. You know our location, our bosses.” He let out a breath and stared at Imani. “I know you like me too.”

“We aren’t here for that. If you don’t have anything useful then I’m going.” Imani stood up and headed toward the door.

“So did that kiss mean nothing to you?” She froze, hand on the handle. “Look me in the eye and tell me that you felt nothing when I kissed you.”

“You already know the answer to that question Caleb.” She didn’t face him. Her hand was clutching the handle so hard her knuckles were white. “I’ve told you. I can’t fall in love with someone who’s involved with an organization that fucks over my friends.”

Silence hung over the room and Imani walked out, rushing past Steve and Loki and into the nearby bathroom and locking it. She rested her back against the door and placed her head in her hands, her leg bobbing rapidly up and down. She tried to steady her breathing and took in a few shaky gulps of air.

How the hell could one boy make her feel all different types of emotions at once?

She felt like puking, but managed to control her stomach. She slowly stood and splashed some warm water on her face. The knock on her door made her jump. “Hey…look I’m sorry…I didn’t know things would turn out this way or that he’d bring up…whatever happened with you two…”

“Steve…its fine.” Imani said and sighed, wiping her face. “Loki’s talking to him now….”

Imani slowly opened the door and Steve wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. “If I knew this was going to happen I wouldn’t-““Steve its ok. You didn’t know.” The pair walked back to the interrogation window and currently, Caleb had his head hung and Imani thought she saw something that resembled tears.

Steve pressed a button on the far wall.

“…You want her to love you. But, from what I saw she wants nothing to do with you.” “She’s lying! She loves me I know she does!” Caleb screamed, throwing his head up to glare at Loki through glossy tear filled eyes. “She hates that I’m part of Hydra…but I know she feels something for me.” His voice was soft now and cracked. Imani’s heart felt as if it was going to burst from the pain.

“What if she doesn’t love you like you think? What if she truly does hate you?” Caleb was silent, a few lone tears spilling down his cheeks.

“Even if she hates me…if she never wants to see me again…even if she wants me dead….I’ll do it.” “You’d do that for her?” Loki asked and Imani could hear the surprise in his voice. “If it’s something she really wants…then yes. I love her that much that if she told me that she wanted me out of her life, I’d leave.”

Imani was certain Steve could hear her heart shatter at Caleb’s words and a single tear slipped out. “He really does seem to like you…maybe you should give him a chance…” Steve muttered. “He’s Hydra Steve…I can’t when I’m loyal to SHIELD…” Imani said softly. “Do you have feelings for him?” Steve asked. Imani bit her lip and shrugged.

“I don’t know Steve…I think I do but-““No buts. If you really do seem to have feelings for him, then act on them. Yeah he’s Hydra…but it seems like that he’d give all of that up even his life…for you.” Imani sighed and nodded once. “Go talk to him…seems like you need to get some things off your chest.”

Steve tapped 3 times on the glass and Loki stood and walked out of the room. “Please go talk to him. Mortals like that don’t come around often.” He said simply. Steve handed her the handcuff key and said, “We’ll give you two some privacy.” Imani nodded and walked into the room. “Here to break my heart?” Caleb muttered. Imani walked over and unlocked his handcuffs.

“I actually need to get some things off my chest.” Caleb scoffed and stared at the ceiling. “You don’t have to forgive me or talk to me or…even act like you care…” Imani let out a shaky breath and willed the tears not to fall. “Just know that…I’m sorry…” Imani sighed. “I guess I was just so loyal to SHIELD that…the idea of getting together with someone who was against us and who we were supposed to be fighting…kind of clouded all of my feelings…”

“I do love you though….I really do…” Silence fell and Imani nodded. She shrugged solemnly and started to walk out of the room. Caleb suddenly sprang up and grabbed Imani’s wrist, pulling her body close to his. Tears stroked his cheeks and fell into her hair. “You’re a fucking horrible person…for making me wait so long to hear those damn words from that beautiful mouth.” He muttered into her hair. Imani buried her head into Caleb’s shoulder and hugged him tight. “I’m sorry…I-I just-““Shh sh. I don’t care about that.”

He pulled away from the hug and Imani smiled, wiping the stray tears from his eyes.

“I have you. And that’s all I care about.”


	27. Going Back

“Who’s gonna be the one to tell Fury?” Tony asked softly, leaning against the doorway. Steve stood across from him and glanced at the two sleeping teens sat against the cushioned wall. Imani sat in Caleb’s lap, her arms draped around his neck and her head nestled in his neck. Caleb had his arms wrapped tightly around her waist and made no sudden move to let go even in his sleep. His cheek was pressed against the top of her head. “Who said we’re gonna tell him?” Steve asked softly.

“I mean we kinda can’t hide that one of ours is dating an ex Hydra agent. Not for too long anyways.” Tony said. “Well until then it’s our secret.” Steve said with a hint of finality and authority. Tony rolled his eyes but let the subject matter drop. The pair walked out into the main room and Natasha looked up at the two. “What’s our game plan?”

“Nothing.” Steve said shrugging a shoulder. Clint, who was playing cards with Bruce, looked up from his game. “Nothing.” He said it more as a statement than a question. “Nothing.” Steve said again and took a sip from the root beer Tony handed him.

“He’s an ex Hydra agent. As much as I love Imani’s happiness, SHIELD isn’t just going to gloss that over because of the power of love. Who knows what Fury will do if they find out about him.” Clint said, setting down a card and picking up another. “Exactly why we’ll hide him as best we can until we can figure out a plan to make everyone happy.” Steve said taking a seat next to Clint. Clint sighed as Bruce set down a card in triumph.

 

Imani woke up slowly, yawning softly and rubbing her eyes. “You sound like a baby.” Imani blinked a couple times and smiled. Caleb looked down at her, a sleepy grin on his face. “Oh thanks. Something every girl wants to hear when she wakes up.” He chuckled and kissed her cheek. “You know what I mean.” Caleb rested his head on her shoulder and she hummed softly, running a hand through his hair. For a while, the pair sat like that. Imani didn’t know if anyone was awake yet; the only sounds was the rumble, whir, and hums of the jet. Imani looked down at Caleb and giggled softly. The 18 year old had fallen back asleep and Imani kissed his forehead. She slipped out of his arms and placed a nearby white blanket over his sleeping form. The boy wrapped himself in the blanket and nuzzled the wall. Smiling, Imani walked into the small dining area and grabbed a black mug. She boiled some water and grabbed an earl gray tea bag. She grabbed some sugar and honey, humming a small tune as she stirred.

“You’re up early.” Imani smiled at the raven haired man. “Good morning Loki. Would you like some tea?” Loki smiled and shook his head. “No thank you. Coffee will do.” Loki set up the coffee maker and the machine hummed and whirred. “Gross. I would think someone of such high class would drink something more civilized.” Imani joked as she sipped at her tea. Loki rolled his eyes, but his mouth curled up into a grin. “It is not for me.” Natasha walked past the pair wearing a cream white robe, running her fingers through her hair. “Morning.” She said. “Good morning.” Loki and Imani said in unison. “It’s for Ms. Romanoff.” Imani sipped at her tea and cocked her head. “Wow. She must be really tired if she’s having someone else make her coffee for her.” Loki chuckled and it was just then that the teen noticed that he was wearing a regular gray shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants.

“She likes it in the other black cup.” Imani said as Loki opened the cabinet. She walked past the god and back toward her sleeping boyfriend. Then again…could she call him her boyfriend? Letting out a small sigh, she sipped at her tea and sat beside the boy, shaking him gently. “Mmmm…noooo….5 more minutes.” Caleb grumbled, pulling the blanket over his head. “Fine…lazy.” Imani sipped at the last of her tea and walked back to the kitchen area and washed out her cup. She heard a creak and turned to find a very sleepy looking Thor leaning against the doorway. His blonde hair fell over his eyes and he yawned, rubbing his eyes. “Good morning Thor.” The god looked up at the teen with hazy blue eyes. Chuckling, Imani opened the cabinet. “Pancakes or PopTarts?” She asked as the man slipped into a chair. “Poptarts...” He grumbled, yawning once more. “Which flavor?” Thor groaned and Imani giggled. “I’m sorry. It’s too early for all of these questions I know.” Imani placed a box of s’mores Poptarts on the table and left the man to his food. Imani walked into the small main room and sat beside Steve who was playing poker with Clint and Bruce. “How long have you been awake?” Clint asked. “Awake enough to give Thor his breakfast.” Imani said and rested her head on Steve’s shoulder, poking his cheek. Steve smiled and set down his cards only to pick up a few more.

“Can I help you?”

Imani smiled and rested her head on Steve’s arm, watching the three men play. For some strange reason, this moment made her feel nostalgic. She couldn’t understand why but she didn’t care. She was just going to enjoy this moment as much as she could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this seemed shorter than usual or rushed in any way. I could not think of anything good for this chapter so please forgive me!


	28. I Love Them

“So that’s our plan?” Imani asked, staring at the blonde haired man before her. “Nothing?”

Steve sighed. “Yes. Nothing.” He huffed and lifted the weight as Imani stood over him. Imani was never one to doubt Steve’s plans and authority, but something about this plan didn’t sit right with her. “Isn’t Fury tracking you guys? I mean if he finds out there’s an ex Hydra agent on this plan he’s going down hard on all of us.”

Steve set the weight down and sat up as Imani draped a towel over his shoulders. “We’ve got Stark and Natasha tracking SHIELD interface. As of now, no one knows a thing and we aren’t being tracked.” That really didn’t sit right with Imani. She was never one to doubt Tony and Nat’s skills, but this is Nick Fury they were talking about. With a dissatisfied sigh, she left Steve to his muscles. She walked into the dining area and perched her arms against the top of Thor’s head, letting out a bored sigh. Loki and Caleb were playing cards, Thor looking upward when he heard the teenage girl’s sigh.

“Something troubling you Miss Brooks?” Thor asked. Imani let out a huff and shook her head. “No…yes…I don’t know.” “Is it the Captain’s plan?” Loki asked setting down a card. “Yeah. I have a strange feeling that it’s not going to go like we all want it….” Imani groaned and buried her face in Thor’s hair. She heard a loud screech of a chair scraping against the kitchen floor and two hands that rested on her shoulders. “C’mon you. Sounds like you need a nap.” Imani sighed, but let Caleb lead her to their shared bunk.

She rested her head down onto the pillow and a sudden wave of fatigue came over her. “Do you want me to stay here?” He asked, draping a blanket over her body. Imani opened her mouth, but a yawn overpowered her. “You’re so cute.” Caleb said grinning. “I’m ok…go.” She snuggled into the pillow and Caleb kissed her forehead.

The smell hit her directly and jolted her right out of her sleep. She rushed out of bed, falling onto the floor but scrambling toward the kitchen. “Who’s making curry ramen?!” Imani shouted and the gang laughed from their seats at the table. “I told you. No matter what or where she is. If you’re making curry ramen she will come running.” Natasha said taking a sip of her margarita. “Loki’s making it. Sit.” Tony said and she sat in between him and Bruce, who patted her hand and squeezed it. Everyone was playing cards except for Caleb and Thor who were intently watching the game unfold. Steve passed Imani a bottle of root beer and she nodded at him in thanks, taking a sip. “I see your Queen Barton and raise you a King.” Tony said setting down his cards. Steve sighed and put up his hands in defeat along with Bruce, who gave an ‘Oh well’ shrug. “Two Kings Stark. Eat shit.” Clint said and went to take the pile of bills in the middle of the table when Natasha smacked his hand and set down her cards. “All Aces. Hands off my money Barton.” She said and Imani, Caleb, and Thor laughed. “Damnit. How the hell does she do that?” Clint groaned. Imani noticed Natasha give half of the money to Steve. “Hey why does Steve get half?” Tony asked. “Because he’s Steve.” She said plainly. “And I need bus money to visit Peggy.”

Loki set down bowls of curry ramen in front of the gang and said proudly, “Dig in.”

“Vrooommm!!!” Imani hummed from atop Bruce’s back. “Alright alright no more.” Bruce said walking into the small main room. “Aren’t you a little old for piggy back rides?” Steve asked and Imani stuck her tongue out at him. “Never!”

Imani shouted, hopping off of Bruce’s back. The gang laughed and Imani grinned.

God she loved these people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never expected my story to get this much hype nor did I expect it to be on this long. Thank you guys so much for the feedback ad giving this story a chance. I promise to upload more I swear!


	29. No

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO THIS CHAPTER HAS A BIG FUCKING TWIST. HAVE FUN WITH THE PAIN

_She was strapped to a chair, held down by at least 5 people. Everything around her was dark except for the one bright light shining down just on her face, so she couldn’t see who was holding her down. “Stay still. This will be better for the rest of us.” A voice said and Imani saw a needle filled with a teal colored liquid. She screamed, but a hand quickly muffled her mouth. She thrashed and jerked about and the needle was so close. She felt the needle in her skin and the liquid enter and she screamed._

Imani jolted awake in her bunk, panting. She was covered in sweat and her body felt so weak. She swallowed and saw that it was still dark. Caleb was asleep beside her, curled up in his usual ball and the rest of the plane was silent so she figured that everyone else was still asleep as well. Imani wiped sweat from her forehead and was about to lay back down, but her stomach decided against her. Bile rose in her throat and she scrambled out of bed, rushing to the bathroom and locking the door. She lifted up the toilet seat and the contents splashed into the bowl. Her throat burned as she continued to vomit and tears cascaded down her cheeks. After what seemed like forever, her stomach stopped. She took in a breath and was about to flush the toilet when she realized what was in the toilet.

Blood. Straight blood.

For the second time that night, she screamed.

 

She jolted awake once more and found herself back in the padded Hydra bunkers. She was wearing a pair of white pajamas and she saw two pills and a bottle of water beside her bed along with a small note. “I-Is…is this another dream…?” She whispered softly. She pinched her arm and hissed. Nothing changed. She wasn’t back on the plane with the Avengers. She was truly back in Hydra. “No…no no no….I-I...NO!” She screamed and rushed toward the padded wall. She felt minimal pain and easily bounced off of it. “NO!” She screamed again and continuously rammed against the wall. “Wake up! Wake up!” She screamed. Hot tears flowed down her face and she was so busy screaming that she didn’t hear the door open. “Hey! Hey hey!” Caleb’s arms wrapped around her body as she thrashed about. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?” He asked his voice frantic. “I-I…I never left….T-That was…a dream…” She whispered. “What are you talking about?” Caleb asked. She couldn’t answer. Her voice was too shaky and filled with tears. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Caleb’s middle and hugged him tight, burying her face into his neck. “Please don’t leave me…Please…” She felt Caleb’s arms tighten around her. “Never. I promise.”

A wet rag gently wiped at her cheek and she shivered, causing her eyes to open. “It’s ok…it’s ok…” Caleb whispered. He lifted her face slightly so he could wipe away her dried tears. She shivered again and he smiled slightly, squeezing the water out of the rag. “How do you feel?” He asked softly, setting her onto the bed. “So confused…scared…” Her voice was small and hoarse from all of the crying. “Why?” She started to open her mouth, but then shook her head once. Caleb nodded and handed her the water and the pills. “Since you still didn’t take these…These are supposed to help with sleep.”

Imani froze slightly. “How long have I been asleep?” “Since we got back from Italy…” “D-Did I say anything to you before I blacked out?” Caleb shook his head. “Last thing I remember was you coming out of the bosses’ office and then you suddenly collapsed. You’ve been asleep since then.” Imani’s eyes filled with tears, but they didn’t fall.

“You called for the Avengers in your sleep….and for me…”

That broke her. Her face collapsed into her hands as she let out a sob. Caleb let her cry.

“I-It felt so fucking real….I-I” Tears caught in her throat and Caleb wiped her tears away. “If you can…tell me everything…” He clasped his hands in hers and she nodded, spilling the entire dream.


	30. Missing You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn....30th chapter guys. Never thought we'd make it this far! I'm really proud of how much attention this received. This wasn't meant to be something huge so I'm really glad it blew up like it did. 
> 
>  
> 
> *Aside from fanfics I do poetry so check some out here! http://imanibrooks56.blogspot.com/  
> And here's my Tumblr: http://horanspoet.tumblr.com/
> 
> Enjoy!

She sat in the corner, clutching her knees against her chest like a teddy bear. Her eyes were bloodshot red both from crying and lack of sleep. And yet, as much sleep she had lost (in her eyes it felt like at least 3 days’ worth), her emotions and her whole body was on high alert. Every sound, every move, was tracked. The door clicked and she quickly stood, getting in a drowsy and weak fighting stance.

“It’s me…” Caleb crept in and stared at the girl in her (honestly) crappy fighting stance. “How long have you been awake?” “How long has it been?” Imani spat. Caleb knew that she wasn’t really angry at him, just the lack of sleep messed with her head. “About 5 days.” Imani scoffed and sat back down.

“I brought you some food.” “Not hungry.” She stated as her stomach growled in response. “Doesn’t seem like it. Eat.”

Caleb set a sandwich at her feet but she just stared at it. “C’mon eat something.” “No. Because if I eat I’ll sleep and the last thing I need is to be dragged back into that fucking dream world.” “And if you don’t sleep or eat you’ll fucking die.”

“I’D RATHER DIE THEN SPEND ONE MORE FUCKING DAY HERE!” Her voice was strained, but loud. Tears slipped down her cheeks and she sat back, taking in a deep breath. Caleb went quiet and Imani laid her head back, chuckling softly. “Guess Dad’s anger issues transferred.” She shut her eyes and Caleb saw her fists clench.

“When can I leave?” Caleb’s eyes widened. “W-wh-“ “When can I leave?” She asked again, eyes still shut and fists clenched so tight her knuckles were white.

“Y-You can’t…” She scoffed and stood up. “Guess I’ll have to make my own way out.” “The hell are you talking about?” Caleb asked standing. “I’m leaving. If I spend one more fucking second in Hydra I’m gonna just fucking kill myself.” “Hey! Don’t say that!” Caleb shouted. “And what?! Pretend I like it here?! Pretend that my friend’s aren’t out searching for me?! PRETEND THAT I’M NOT SCARED OF EVERY FUCKING SECOND I’M IN HERE BECAUSE WHO FUCKING KNOWS WHAT HYDRA WILL DO WITH ME! IF I HAVE TO LIVE IN FEAR OR KILL MYSELF TO STOP IT THEN I’M TAKIN’ DEATH.”

Her voice echoed off of the walls and Caleb stared at the girl in front of him. The first day she was stone cold, unfazed from everything and quiet. Now…Now she was vulnerable. Eyes swimming in and anger and fear, body trembling and skin pale. She stared at him, mouth pressed in a hard line. “Now get out of my way.” Caleb couldn’t argue. He stepped out of the way and she walked past him and into the hallway.

“I’m sorry…”   


 

Natasha looked around the room and couldn’t help but be let down by the vibes in the room. As usual, the Tower was quiet. Even Jarvis’s voice felt quieter. Bucky and Steve sat beside each other on the couch, Steve’s shirt drenched with sweat. She noticed Steve ran more often now that Imani was….

“This is madness….we should be looking for her.” Thor spoke up, but his usual booming voice was softer. “Tony’s doing everything he can. He’s searching security cameras, cell phone traces, anything that can lead us to Imani. We just have to wait.” Natasha said. “But who knows how long that will take?” Loki asked. “I mean I do not doubt Mr. Stark and his technology powers, but…” His voice trailed off. “We don’t know how long it’ll take….but Tony’s working hard on this. We just have to wait.”

Natasha’s statement seemed to satisfy the team enough for them to become quiet. “Colonel Rhodes is at the door Sir. And a Mr. Phil Coulson.” Jarvis’s voice floated through the room, breaking the silence. “Let them in.” Tony said walking into the room. He was affected worst of all by this. Dark bags made permanent residence under his eyes and he never came up from his lab more than usual. It looked as if he hadn’t even changed clothes. So it was a small surprise to everyone when they saw him. Rhodes and Coulson walked in and surveyed the scene.

“Bring the files?” Tony asked walking over to Coulson. Phil handed a manila folder over without a word and Tony took it, turning his head towards Rhodes. “Tony-““Files Rhodes. I know you probably went through a lot of shit to get this and I appreciate it but please hand it over cause I don’t need a damn lecture.” Tony spoke so swiftly and easily like he normally does. But there was something off in his voice that Natasha could not place.

Rhodes blinked at Tony and handed him a small flash drive. “You’ll find her…” Rhodes said squeezing Tony’s hand. He looked at Coulson and asked, “Staying?” “Yeah you go on ahead.” With a small wave, Rhodes was out of the door and Tony was back into his lab.

Coulson took a spot on the floor near Hawkeye’s feet. “Where’s…Banner?” He asked looking around. The whole team casted worried glances to one another. “Imani’s room….only comes out for food or to go on the roof….” Hawkeye said, cleaning his bow. “Have you guys…” “We try not to bother him too much. If he comes down for food he comes down. And if not…well we let him be.” Steve said solemnly.

Coulson nodded once. “Ok…ok.”


	31. On The Way

_“Led through the mist, by the milk light of moon. All that was lost, is revealed.”_ Imani hummed quietly under her breath as she crept silently through the halls. She knew Hydra agents were probably watching her, but at this point she couldn’t care less.

 _“Our long bygone burdens, mere echoes of the spring, But where have we come, and where shall we end?”_ Her mind flashed to Caleb and the pained expression on his face as she walked out. “He’s not important…what’s important is getting out of here…” She muttered to herself as she turned a corner.

Straight into a Hydra agent.

“H-“The agent had no time to react before Imani pounced on him. She swung onto his back and snapped his neck. She jumped off of him as his body crumbled onto the ground. She grabbed the two guns in his pockets and rushed down the hallway, shooting the nearby Hydra agents.

An alarm sounded and Imani cursed under her breath. She quickly rushed down another hallway, bursting through a door. The sun was just getting ready to set and jets were scattered across the terrain. Imani quickly dove behind a bunch of boxes as Hydra agents rushed inside at the sound of the alarm. She quickly rushed across the terrain to a nearby jet. She rushed to the cockpit. “Fuck! I can’t fly this thing!” She shouted groaning.

“Good thing I know how.”

Imani turned to find Caleb standing there, two guns in his hands. “What the hell-“ “Look do you want to get out of here or not because it won’t take long for those agents to figure out that their boss is dead and frankly I don’t want either of us to die when you’re so close. So move!!” Imani scrambled to the passenger seat and watched Caleb take the controls. He skillfully pressed buttons and the jet was slowly in the air.

“Punch in the coordinates and I’ll set this thing on auto pilot.” Imani set in the coordinates and the jet made a series of hums and beeps. Caleb pressed a button and let go of the handles. Imani’s heart was pounding.

She never thought she’d get out…She never thought she’d make it…She never thought she would be going home…

“What made you run after me?” Imani asked after a few moments. “Because love makes people do crazy things. Things like kill your boss and help a girl steal a jet so she can go back to the people who love her.” His face stared straight ahead at the view in front of them. “Even though you know that the girl will never love you back, you can’t help but try to protect her and get her back home.”

Imani thought back to the imaginary Steve in her dream. _"If you really do seem to have feelings for him, then act on them. Yeah he’s Hydra…but it seems like that he’d give all of that up even his life…for you.”_

“Who said I didn’t love you?” Silence, but she noticed Caleb glance at her. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it instead. She got up and walked out of the cockpit and into the main part of the jet. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

“Fuck…Ugh!” She groaned loudly and punched a wall. The wall made a hissing noise and Imani jumped back. “What the hell?” Caleb asked rushing over. The wall opened to reveal a bunch of boxes and files. The pair glanced at each other and Imani took a hesitant step inside. Her eyes scanned the room and she picked up a random file.

“Agent Steve Rogers…Why does Hydra have Steve’s file?” Imani asked, wiping away the dust. “I don’t know…But we should get these things to SHIELD and fast.” Imani nodded, but made no move to leave the room. Instead, she continued to search for more files. “Who are you looking for now?”

“James Buchanan Barnes. Bucky for short…Ha!” Imani chirped and grabbed the file. “Why are you getting all of these?” Caleb asked leaning against the door. “So Hydra won’t. Not again.” Imani said and continued to scan around. Her heart stopped as she slowly pulled a file down. “Whoa…” She whispered. “Whose file did you find now?” Caleb asked walking toward her. She stared at the file before looking up at him.

“Yours…”

The duo sat in the main room, lit by a single light bulb. Imani scanned over Steve’s file, a good number of folders next to her. Caleb sat across from her, staring at his file. He couldn’t bring himself to open it, no matter how desperate he wanted to know about himself. Who was he? Where was his family if he had any? Why did Hydra want him? Occasionally, Imani would glance at him, but would quickly go back to her own extensive research.

“C-Can you read it…?” He asked softly. Imani slowly closed Steve’s file. “A-Are you sure…?”

“I can’t bring myself to read it…” Imani nodded and took the file, scooting closer to the boy. “Ok...” Caleb ran an anxious hand through his hair as Imani opened the file. “….Your real name…isn’t Caleb…” Well, he couldn’t say he didn’t suspect that. “It’s…Matthew…Matthew Davis…”

He was quiet and Imani continued. “You’re 18, and your birthday is August 12th….Hey says here you were born in Vancouver.” He licked his lips and let out a sigh. “Vancouver huh..? Nice.” Imani smiled and gently patted his hand. “What else?”

“Says here you were adopted by an Irish couple who couldn’t have kids…and that the father trained in extreme martial arts and decided to train you…Guess that’s why-“ “Hydra wanted me…Does it say what happened to them?” He asked. Although they weren’t his real parents, they did raise him.

“No…” Imani sighed and closed the file. Matthew sighed and put his face into his hands. Imani rubbed his back and Matthew buried his head in her lap. “I’m sorry for all the shit I’ve put you through…” Matthew said softly. “It’s ok. Not like you asked to be a part of Hydra…” She ran a gentle hand through his hair and he hummed in comfort. “But I guess being a part of Hydra wasn’t all bad…” He shifted so that he was looking straight up into her eyes and a gentle yet cautious hand placed itself on her cheek.

“I got to fall in love with you…”


	32. Home

Matthew watched Imani from the corner of his eye as she scanned over the files. “Whose file are you running over now?” He asked, turning his head to scan over the file. Imani smiled and pecked his lips. “Eyes on the sky Matt.” He grinned and turned to the sky. “It’s Howard Stark.” “Tony’s Dad?” Imani hummed in confirmation.

“He must’ve angered people in Hydra…Him and Peggy…His inventions were highly valued-“

“You mean his weapons.” Matthew said. Imani shot him a cold glare and Matthew shifted in his seat. “Sorry….”

“He made more than just weapons you know. Not everything he made ended up destroying things…” Imani shut the file and sighed. “Just…people took it that way…” The pair became quiet and Matthew’s thumb skimmed across her palm. “I’m sorry….” “How far are we from-“

“You sons of bitches need to land your damn plane before SHIELD blasts it out of the sky.” A rough voice blasted overhead and Imani’s heart stopped. Not the ‘Welcome home’ greeting she hoped of, but it’ll have to do.

Imani grabbed the headphones and turned on the mic. “Fury it’s me! Don’t shoot we’ll land!”

“Brooks?! What in God’s name are you doing on a damn Hydra plane?! Get your ass down here now!”

Oh Fury.

 

 

“Son of a bitch….what the hell was she- Screw that is she ok? Is she hurt? How’s her mental state?” “Stark enough. You and the rest of the crew can come see her in a bit.” Hill stated. Tony let out a huge sigh of relief and quickly wiped the tears from his eyes. “What the hell was she doing on a Hydra plane? With a boy no fucking doubt.” Tony would have laughed at Bruce’s mutter, but he felt that it wasn’t the best time.

Hill turned to a faint off-screen voice. “Who-“ “Imani says that all of you better get sleep before you come over here.” Tony’s stomach jumped and he leaned closer to the screen. “Hill put her on now.” “Can’t Stark. Fury’s orders.” And with that, Hill logged off. Tony rushed upstairs and screamed, “SHE’S OK.”

The team jumped up and Tony held up a hand. “No time. Let’s head to SHIELD.”

 

Imani patted Matthew’s hand and his grip around her shoulders tightened. A group of SHIELD agents were transporting all of the files on the plane.

“Where are the files going?” “A secret SHIELD facility. One that Hydra doesn’t know about.” Hill said and it was pretty obvious in her voice that she didn’t trust Matthew. A SHIELD agent walked out with three files tucked under his arm. “Wait!” Imani shouted and grabbed the files. She quickly flipped through them and pulled out two pictures before handing them back.

“What did you need?” Hill asked.

“A picture of Howard and a picture of Peggy.” Imani said and tucked them into her back pocket. Hill gave a small smile and patted the girl’s shoulder. “Glad to have you back kid.” Imani grinned and hugged Matthew’s arm.

“You.” The three turned and Fury was standing there, glaring at Matthew. “In my office.” Matthew looked at Imani and she shrugged before pushing him gently. They four walked inside, Fury and Matthew going off into Fury’s office. “Do you think Fury will go hard on Matthew?” Imani asked and Maria looked at the girl, head cocked slightly. “He’s a Hydra agent.” “He’s just lost…”

Maria shook her head slightly and a SHIELD agent walked over to them. “Ma’am the Avengers have arrived.” Imani looked at Maria and she sighed softly, raising her hand in a “Go’ motion. Imani grinned and rushed to the entrance.

 

The first one she saw was Bruce. His hair was disheveled and his purple button up and black pants were wrinkled. His back was turned to her and she pounced on his back, clinging to him and inhaling his scent.

“Dad!” Bruce’s hands instantly grabbed at Imani’s hands and the teen momentarily pulled away from Bruce, only to have him pull her against his chest, hugging her tight.

“Thank God you’re ok! I thought I lost you…!” Bruce’s words were overpowered by his tears, but she could still make out what the scientist was saying.

“C’mon Banner. Hydra wasn’t gonna keep me away from my family. Not that easily.” Imani said, wiping away the man’s tears. As she let go of Bruce, Steve hugged the girl from behind, swinging her around.

“Steve!” She shouted giggling. The super soldier set her down and grinned. “I missed giving you my Rogers hugs.”

“And I missed getting them. Oh! I have something for you!” Imani said and dug into her pocket, pulling out the picture of Peggy. “I’m pretty sure you lost a picture of her when you landed all those years ago and I found this in her file.” Imani said and handed it to him. She saw Steve’s eyes gloss over with tears and he grinned, hugging her.

“Thank you.” Imani ruffled his hair and turned to Clint and Natasha and sighed. “Oh c’mon you two. Drop the whole “We’re stone cold bad-asses” thing. I know you both missed me like crazy.” Imani grinned and held out her arms. Clint was the first to break; a smile broke out on his face and he said, “Aw hell! I can’t do it!” He hugged her tight and held out his arm. “C’mon Nat. You missed her.” Natasha smiled and walked into Imani’s other open arm and they all hugged.

“Where’s Bucky? And Thor and Loki?” Imani asked after a minute.

“Back at the tower. They wanted to plan a party and uh…yeah.” Imani smiled and walked over to Tony. “Bags under your eyes, hoarse voice, and a faint smell of whiskey on your breath. You missed meee!!!” Imani said and hugged Tony.

Finally…Finally she was back with her family.


	33. Getting Back In The Swing Of Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT YOU GUYS. I HAVE BEEN SWAMPED WITH ADULT THINGS LIKE JOBS AND NOW TRYING TO FIND A JOB AND HAVING A BOYFRIEND AND WORKING ON ENTERING POETRY COMPETITIONS AND JUST TRYING TO FIND THE TIME TO UPDATE THIS BECAUSE I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR A NEW CHAPTER SO HERE IT IS. I PROMISE TO UPDATE THIS AS MUCH AS I CAN AND MAYBE WRITE SOMETHING WITH THE MAZE RUNNER BUT I AM NOT SURE SO THAT'S LIKE A MAYBE I WILL MAYBE I WON'T. BUT ANYWAYS YEAH I'M RAMBLING ENJOY THIS MUCH AWAITED CHAPTER.

Imani sat outside of Fury's office, twiddling her thumbs and bobbing her knee up and down in anticipation. Was Fury yelling at Matthew? No, she would've heard that (along with everyone). Had Matthew told him something he shouldn't have and was now tied onto a chair? That wasn't likely, but she didn't put it past Fury. The door clicked open and Imani scrambled up as Matthew walked out. He looked the same as when he had walked in, a little jittery but nothing major. 

"You ok?" Imani asked. Matthew smiled and wrapped an arm around Imani's shoulders, placing a kiss against her temple. "I'm ok. Hungry and wanting to sleep, but ok nonetheless."

"Nothing a few days here can't fix for our new recruit." Fury said standing in the doorway. "Matthew here is going to be staying with us, telling everything he knows about Hydra to Hill and our other higher ups."

"So you, Hill, and Steve?" Imani asked with a small smile. 

"Yes. Now I suggest you get on home. That whole bunch has really missed you.” Fury said walking into his office and shutting the door with a click. 

Imani looked up at Matthew and he looked down at her with a curious look. 

“What?” She asked. 

“You’re just really cute.” Imani rolled her eyes and pushed him away playfully with a laugh. 

“Yeah I bet. Now go get food and get some sleep noob. Training is bright and early tomorrow.” Matthew grinned and made kissy faces at her before walking off. 

Imani smiled and walked toward a waiting Bruce and Steve, Steven was staring at the picture of Peggy. She saw his eyes gloss over with tears and a broken yet sincere smile spread across his face. 

“You really miss her don’t you?” Imani asked and Steve’s head snapped up, wiping at his eyes.

“Yeah I do.” He said softly and tucked the picture into his pocket. 

“Not to be “that guy”,” Bruce said, his hands tucked into his pockets. “But it’s been a sad time for everyone and I’d rather not feel even more upset.” 

Imani nodded and the trio walked out of the SHIELD facility. 

 

 

“Y’know I’m actually surprised Tony didn’t plan a party.” Imani said as the three walked into the Avengers tower. 

“I wanted to, but Banner wouldn’t let me.” Tony said from the kitchen, sipping at a mug of what Imani believed was coffee, as she saw the rising steam. 

“Wait...” Imani glanced at Bruce, who was obviously avoiding her gaze. “Banner told you not to do something....and you listened?” 

“Well that...and the fact that Dr. Banner went Hulk on him and would’ve destroyed Tony if he didn’t listen.” Steve said with a small chuckle. 

“And Capsicle woudn’t have helped me.” Tony said, glaring at Steve. Steve raised his arms in defense. 

“There’s a lot of things I’ll do-” “Like fight off a Nazi army and let your best friend from the army days live in the Tower without permission?” Tony interjected. 

“Hey. That wasn’t Steve’s fault!” Imani shouted. “I let Bucky in.”

“And used my suit!” Tony shouted back. Imani laughed; she knew Tony wasn’t actually angry. 

“I was under fire!!” “And that-” 

“As I was saying,” Steve shouted, silencing the two. “There’s a lot of things I’ll do. But fight off the Hulk is not my cup of tea.” 

“Even when your favorite person is being threatened?” Tony said and faked a pain of hurt. 

Steven looked at him, brow arched in confusion. “Imani was never here-” 

“Aw thanks Steve.” Imani said with a grin. “Yeah thanks.” Tony grumbled and walked down into his lab. 

Imani yawned and slumped against the couch, her arm dangling off the arm rest. She had been up for a long time; what about...5 days? Her mind wandered back to her days at Hydra. It was set up basically like SHIELD. They had recruits, a security system, scary higher ups. She looked back on her restless days of pacing and refusing her body;s wishes to sleep, thinking that that was the day Hydra decided to kill her. But another day passed, striking up a new wave of paranoia. She remembered refusing the food Matthew always brought in, even though both him and her body practically begged her to eat.  

_“_ _I brought you some food.” “Not hungry.” She stated as her stomach growled in response. “Doesn’t seem like it. Eat.”_

_“C’mon eat something.” “No. Because if I eat I’ll sleep and the last thing I need is to be dragged back into that fucking dream world.” “And if you don’t sleep or eat you’ll fucking die.”_

She remembers breaking down and screaming at him. 

_“I’D RATHER DIE THEN SPEND ONE MORE FUCKING DAY HERE!”_

_“I’m leaving. If I spend one more fucking second in Hydra I’m gonna just fucking kill myself.”_

_“Hey! Don’t say that!” “_

_And what?! Pretend I like it here?! Pretend that my friend’s aren’t out searching for me?! PRETEND THAT I'M NOT SCARED OF EVERY FUCKING SECOND I'M IN HERE BECAUSE WHO FUCKING KNOWS WHAT HYDRA WILL DO TO ME! IF I HAVE TO LIVE IN FEAR OR KILL MYSELF TO STOP IT THEN I'M TAKING DEATH!!"_

She shuddered and looked up at Bruce, who was watching her. 

“Whatcha thinking about Dad?” Imani asked softly. His eyes flashed with a wave of sadness (or nostalgia? Imani couldn’t tell. Blame the lack of sleep). His mouth opened, but the he closed it.

“You should get some sleep.” He said softly and stood. 

“You should too. Not to sound rude, but you look like you’ve been through hell.” Imani said. He paused, his back toward her. He turned back to her and Imani's heart dropped as she saw tears running down his cheeks. 

“Well that’s cause my source of heaven was away from me.” 


	34. The Good and The Bad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if this isn't my best. Kinda stressing about life right about now...

Imani walked into the SHIELD facility and a wave of happiness and sadness washed over her. She still hadn't really gotten over the fact that she had been in Hydra for about...what 3-4 months? Everything at SHIELD hadn't changed, except maybe Coulson being gone. She made a note to ask Maria about that....

"Hey you." A voice said, wrapping their arms around her waist. Imani shivered and almost elbowed the person behind her until they kissed her cheek.

"I swear I almost flipped you over." Imani said with a shaky voice. She turned around and Matthew grinned at her, running a hand through his hair. 

"Sorry." Imani rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder softy. "Please tell me they're treating you well here." She said as they walked past all of the SHIELD agents hunched over monitors.

"Yeah its fine. I'm being treated like a SHIELD field recruit. Pretty much similar to Hydra." He looked at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they walked. "How are you doing?" 

Imani let out a small sigh. "Its taking a bit to get use to being back. Tony's upped the defenses on the tower crazy high, Hawkeye and Black Widow are watching me like crazy to make sure I don't go anywhere. Banner and I are almost joined at the hip, even more so than we were. Steve and I go running now..." Imani's voice trailed off. 

Matthew looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong?"   
  


"Nothing...just hungry." Imani said and smiled. "Tell me about your times here." 

 

*Later that Night*

 

Imani laced up her sneakers and pulled the gray hoodie over her hair. She slipped out of the door and started jogging. She rushed past stalled taxi cabs waiting for the red light to take them home. Her shoes were loud on the somewhat quiet streets of Manhattan.  _Run...run run run run until your legs give out._

Another nightmare...Another Hydra dream. Tonight was the same as last night. Being tied down, feeling needles prick her skin. Hushed voices covering her mouth and screaming in different languages. Liquid running into her veins. Her screams ringing out into the echoed blackness...

 

"Hey! Watch out!" A voice shouted. A pair of headlights and a screech took her out of her thoughts. She looked at the oncoming lights and in a flash, it was black. 

 

Muffled voices...Not the ones in her dreams.

 

She opened her eyes...and a destroyed taxi cab was in front of her. A few taxi cab drivers were in front of her and one held out his hand. "Ma'm are you ok?" She didn't look at him. She was still focused on the car. It was smoking and looked as if it had just went through a trash compactor. Another taxi cab driver was screaming curse words and pointing at her in a different language. 

She scrambled up and jogged back to the tower, ignoring the cries of the people behind her. Bruce was in the kitchen when she got there, pantng and out of breath. 

"What-"

"There's something wrong with me..." 

 

 


	35. Figuring Things Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know my last chapter wasn't the best, but this and the next chapter will be a giant explanation of chapter34. Also MORE PAPA BRUCE BANNER.

"In other news, a car crash in Manhattan at about 3 in the morning is all cab drivers can talk about. Here's video proof of last night's catastrophe." A grainy video showed Imani running across the street and the taxi cab screeching as it tried to stop and Imani cowered in fear. Suddenly, the taxi cab slammed into her, only to be squished like a trash compactor. Imani fell onto the ground and the taxi cab driver's screams were muffled by the screams of the person recording the video. "It seems as if New York is being infested by super powered fr-" Bruce quickly shut off the TV and looked over at the teen sitting on the couch. She was shivering, her eyes bloodshot and puffy and clutching the maroon colored blanket he wrapped around her. He walked into the kitchen as the tea kettle whistled on the stove. He poured the water into a mug and put a early gray tea bag into the hot water and walked back to her, setting the mug down in front of her. 

"I'm scared Bruce...." She said softly. Bruce sighed and wrapped an arm around her. 

"What did they do to you..?" He asked softly. She sniffled and swallowed hard. 

"I...don't know...I was knocked out for a short period of time...Hell maybe longer..." She shivered again and grabbed the hot mug sitting in front of her, taking a small sip. 

"Do you remember anything...? If they...did things?" Bruce asked.

"I've been having nightmares....They've gotten me strapped down and...there's so many voices..." 

"What are they saying?" 

"I could never figure that out....they...stuck me with needles...some liquid." Suddenly, Bruce noticed the teen start to tremble and shake. "I-I always wake up screaming...They muffled me to make shut up.." Bruce's heart lurched and dropped at the sight of her crying. "I'm so scared Bruce..I don't want to die! What did they do to me?!" 

"Hey!" Bruce shouted and it startled the teen and himself. He never really yelled; was always so soft spoken. Unless he was the other guy of course.. He grabbed her gently by the shoulders and stared into her eyes that were brimming with tears. 

"You aren't going to die..I'll make sure of it.." Imani stared at him before falling into his arms, holding him so tight Bruce couldn't breathe. But he hugged her back and wiped away her tears. 

"C'mon. Lets see if Tony can help us figure this out. And bring the tea." Imani grabbed the warm cup and took small sips from it as the duo walked down into the lab. 

 

 


	36. Figuring Things Out 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I am soo sorry. I know my writing has COMPLETELY CHANGED from when I first wrote this and I just feel really bad about it all. I don't want you guys thinking I don't care about this because I really do. I've just been struggling a lot with like life problems and a bit of internal stuff but I promise I won't stop this.

Imani laid down onto the cold metal table, squinting slightly at the bright white lamp shining down on her. 

"Now just relax ok?" Tony said softly. Imani noticed the bags on his eyes and wondered just how much time he spent down here. Probably more after she was taken by Hydra. "Jarvis begin the scan!" 

"Scan initializing." Jarvis's voice loomed overhead and she closed her eyes softly. There was a dull hum, like the weird noise you hear when someone doesn't turn the TV off all the way. A hand patted her left shoulder and she opened her eyes to see Bruce staring down at her. She turned her head and saw Tony scrolling down the holographic screen that typed out numbers and words at a fast pace. 

"So what's the diagnosis Doc?" Imani asked, trying to atleast add some humor to this situation. Tony hadn't even glanced up at her and Bruce was silent. 

"Hey Bruce. Think you can tell me what this is?" Tony said, not looking up from the screen yet waving a hand in Bruce's direction. Bruce walked over to Tony and Tony muttered something in a low voice Imani couldn't hear quite well. She let out a small sigh which turned into a low yawn. She slowly shut her eyes, only to be gently shaken awake. 

"Mmm...." She groaned sleepily and slowly opened her eyes to glare at Bruce. 

"Sorry...think you might wanna see this..." His voice was soft and filled with worry. Slowly, Imani turned to the two scientists. 

"So..you say Hydra...drugged you...yet you have no idea what it was?" Bruce asked and Imani nodded. 

"So after running that test on you and digging through a bunch of SHIELD files to try and find a match to any of these chemicals, something came up." Tony said. Imani swung her legs over to the side of the table and walked toward the screen. 

MATCHES FOUND

FILE NAME: Steve Rogers

FILE NAME: The Winter Soldier (James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes)

FILE NAME: CLASSIFIED

"Some chemicals were used for...Steve's change..." Imani said softly. Was she....? Could she be....?

"Think we may have another Super Soldier in our clan.." Tony said. Bruce looked over at the teen and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"T-they were....trying..to make...a female Super Soldier..." Imani whispered. 

Bruce pulled the teen into a soft hug, yet Imani's arms stayed at her sides. She was an unfinished Super Soldier....or maybe finished... She pulled away from Bruce and looked over at Tony. "Can you find out what that classified file is?" She asked. Tony nodded and typed away. 

Imani sat up onto the table and shivered suddenly. 

"How can we know you're an actual...super soldier..?" Bruce asked. Imani looked up at him. 

"Train I guess...look over at Steve's file and see if I'm exactly the same...See if Hydra got their shit right.." Imani said softly and her eyes went wide. 

"What?" Bruce asked. 

"What...if Matthew knows something?" 


	37. Plans Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Sorry if the chapter looks a bit off. The editing on AO3 is super weird, but I hope you all enjoy).

Imani sighed and shivered as she walked into SHIELD’s facility. It usually wasn’t cold in there, but she figured it was from her Super Soldier abilities. She pulled the jacket closer around her and scanned around for Hill or Furyor Coulson. 

“Come to finally visit?” A voice asked. 

Imani turned and saw Matthew with a huge smile on his face. He was slightly sweaty and a white towel was draped over his shoulder. 

“Um...y-yeah. Sorry I haven’t been here in a while I-”

Matthew chuckled and squeezed her hand. “Relax. I’m not gonna hound you. I know its gonna take a while for you to adjust to everything.” He wiped his forehead and looked at her, cocking his head slightly. “Are you ok?”

Imani’s head was spinning and she pulled her hand away from his. “I- I need to see Fury...or Hill. Hell, where’s Coulson?” She asked in a rushed voice. 

“Hey hey hey...” Matthew put his hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “What’s wrong?” 

“I-I just need them...one of them...I-I need Steve's file....I knew I should’ve kept it I-” Imani was hushed by Matthew putting a finger on her lips.

“What’s the matter with Steve? Why do you need his file?” Matthew asked softly.

Imani shut her eyes and felt Matthew’s hand on her cheek. His thumb grazed her lips and she almost wanted to tell him. Almost. 

“Where’s Coulson?” She asked, finally opening her eyes. 

“Hill said he’s gone. Doesn’t know when he’ll be back.” Matthew said, his voice soft. 

Imani almost felt like crying. She rested her forehead on his shoulder and he patted her hair. 

“What’s the matter babe...? C’mon....” Matthew said and rubbed her cheek. 

“What do you know?” She asked softly. 

“About what?” He gently raised her face so that they were staring at each other. 

Imani swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “What do you know about Hydra making Super Soldiers?” 

“What...? Babe what are you talking about? Hydra stopped making those after Bucky..." Matthew said.

Imani bit her bottom lip. “Matthew....t-they didn’t stop...T-they...” Shit. She was about to cry.

“Babe...you need to tell me...” Matthew gripped her shoulders a bit and she wiped away her tears.

“Do you remember where they took you? Who was there?” She shook her head. 

“There....were voices...but I couldn’t hear them too well...t-they put...so many things into me...I-I might...” 

“Be a Super Soldier...” Matthew whispered. 

"I-I need you to tell me everything you know ok....?" Imani said and he nodded. 

 

The teens sat in one of the containment boxes, Imani huddled in a corner and Matthew right beside her with his arm wrapped around her. 

"I wasn't really around when they did everything with Bucky....but they always mentioned it to us. Always talk about how he was inferior as a super soldier and how they shouldn't have picked someone so close to Steve...a lot of trainees went missing...." Matthew swallowed hard. 

“They were trying to make the best into super soldiers....” Imani whispered. 

Matthew nodded. “Seemed like the boss got angrier with every failed experiment. At the time, I was just another trainee; some scrawny thing. Nothing interesting for the bosses to look at. But over time, I trained and bulked up and kinda became the boss’s right hand. They discussed Bucky with me in more detail and how they needed me for the plan.” 

“Plan?” Imani asked. 

“We....activated Bucky...and we sent him to the Avengers tower to...destroy him..” Matthew swallowed hard and wiped his palms on his pants. 

“But.....instead you found me...Bucky was gonna destroy me...” Imani whispered. She wasn’t too shocked however.

“Yet you fought him off and changed him....That’s when the boss decided to....” Matthew’s voice trailed off as Imani put the pieces together. 

“You....came to me....to turn me into a super soldier...That’s why Hydra wanted me...” Imani said softly.

Matthew put a gentle hand on her shoulder as she took a deep breath. 

“You’re gonna have to come to the Tower with me soon...Can you see if you can grab some info from Steve and Bucky files? Mostly the chemicals used. But if it seems like you're gonna get caught or get in any trouble. do the smart thing. You already aren't trusted. I don't need you getting in trouble for me...." Imani said and Matthew nodded. 

“Yeah sure....You...aren’t mad at me are you?” 

“I can’t be mad at you. You didn’t know what Hydra was planning. You were only carrying out a job.” Imani ran a hand through his hair and he sighed. Imani kissed the side of his head and stood. 

“I better get back to the Tower...Tony is researching through all the SHIELD files trying to figure more things out.” Imani said and rubbed her eyes. 

“Have you gotten any sleep at all?” Matthew asked, rubbing her cheek. Imani nodded.

“Yeah sleep is fine. Just kinda rattled with the whole...maybe being a super soldier...” She said with a small chuckle. 

“Does anyone else know?” Matthew asked. 

“Only Bruce and Tony know. We don't wanna break the news to anyone until we know for sure." Imani said in a lower voice as they walked into the SHIELD facility.

“Alright. I’ll see if I can get anything.” Matthew said and kissed the back of Imani's hand. Imani sighed and nuzzled his shoulder. 

“Be careful alright?” Imani asked softly, looking into his eyes. Matthew smiled and kissed her forehead. 

“I’ll be fine. I’ll be super careful and wait until I make any moves. And I’ll make sure to plan everything out,” Matthew said and kissed her nose. “Now go. Tony might’ve found something.” 

Imani nodded and placed a soft kiss on his lips before walking out of the SHIELD facility and back to the Tower. 

 


	38. Things are Happening

“Find anything Science Bros?” Imani asked as she walked down into the lab. Bruce and Tony were hunched over screens and scattered papers were everywhere. 

“Just a few notes on what Tony could decode from Steve’s files before the SHIELD security system kicked in.” Bruce said, rubbing his eyes and sipping at his usual cup of tea. “But nothing to be excited about.” 

“Have you guys eaten?” Imani asked rubbing Tony’s back. He shut down the screen and laid his head on the scattered papers on his desk. 

“Nothing but a few apples and some sandwiches...” Bruce said with a yawn.

“C’mon you two. We’re gonna grab some food upstairs and the both of you are going to take a nap. Especially you Tony...Tony?” Imani shook the scientist slightly, but he didn’t make a sound. 

“Well guess he’s out...c’mon Banner.” Imani said and Bruce nodded in agreement. 

“I’ll carry him...” Bruce lifted Tony onto his back and grunted a little. The two walked out and Imani stopped in the doorway. 

Jarvis, lock down the lab will you?” Imani asked. 

“Certainly.” Jarvis said and the lab went dark. Imani smiled and walked upstairs to see Tony slumped onto the couch and Bruce sitting on a bar stool with his head slumped up against the island. 

“Banner....c’mon atleast lay in the chairs...” Imani said softly and Bruce groaned. He groggily got up and dragged himself toward one of the chairs, curling into a ball and falling asleep instantly. 

With a sigh, Imani rubbed her eyes and twirled her curls around her finger, then gently put her forehead on the island counter. Both men were working tirelessly to figure out something that they knew not much about. Maybe she should’ve went to Steve and Bucky....no. She didn’t need more people stressing out over her, especially with Matthew now involved. She wondered how Matthew was doing and if he had found anything. No...she knew he would atleast gather tons of information before executing the plan. Imani rubbed her temples and searched in the fridge, pulling out an orange. As she peeled the orange, Steve, Bucky, and Sam walked in.

 

“Whoa....who got Tony to finally sleep?” Steve asked and turned as Imani put a hand in the air. 

“Guilty.” 

“And Banner’s knocked out too. What have they been doing?” Sam asked, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. 

“Research.” Imani said, biting into an orange slice. Bucky glanced down at the orange slices and Imani nodded. With a grin, he took one, munching on it happily. 

“Well they seem to be working pretty hard at it whatever it is.” Sam said leaning against the counter. Imani nodded and rubbed her eyes. 

“And now you’re tired. Alright what’s up with you three?” Steve asked. She heard a bit of playfulness in his voice and that eased her. 

“Just something they asked me to work on with them. Nothing really.” Imani said and yawed. Suddenly, there was a rumbling. 

“Guess Thor and Loki are home.” Steve said. 

“How long were they gone?” Sam asked. 

“God....about 10 weeks. When they go home, they stay for a long time.” Steve said. Imani walked outside, stretching her arms. 

“Miss Brooks!” Thor shouted and set down Mjölnir before swooping up the girl into a hug. She forgot how much she missed him and hugged him tight. 

“Hey Thor. How was it back home?” Imani asked. Thor grinned before setting her down. 

“Ah it was magical. Heimdall sends his regards.” Thor said and Imani sighed, another yawn escaping her lips. 

“How are your parents?” “They are in good health. My Mother asks how you are doing and I tell her that you are wonderful.” Imani smiled. 

“Now, I must head inside. I need Poptarts.” Thor said and walked inside, Imani giggling. 

“Now do I get my turn?” Imani smiled and turned to Loki. 

“Of course you do.” She said and pulled the raven haired man in for a hug. 

“I’ve missed you.” He whispered into her hair. She sighed and nuzzled his shoulder. Next to Bruce, she had a deep almost family like connection with Loki. Like she could trust him with anything.... She looked up at Loki and then glanced at the entrance to the Tower. 

“Lo....” Loki looked at the girl with a concerned face. 

“What is it...?” Imani shivered and Loki pulled her close to him. 

“You’re freezing...” He put a hand on her forehead and instantly pulled it back. 

The world was spinning and she hissed in pain from an unknown numbness. “L-lo...” She whispered before swaying and blacking out. The last thing she heard was a low thud and a ringing from an unknown source.


	39. Everyone Takes a Nap

What the hell happened?!” Bruce shouted as he carried the girl to the lab, Tony screaming at Jarvis to “Unlock the damn lab!” 

“Apparently she went cold and passed out while we were passed out. Loki said she went blue and the next thing he knew, ice started forming on her.” Tony said in a rushed voice. Bruce laid the girl on the table and conducted a full body scan on her. 

“What the hell is going on?!” Steve shouted, followed by everyone in the Tower. Natasha and Clint rushed to the table, but Bruce put up a hand to stop them. “Don’t.” 

“Look you guys. Something’s been happening to Imani’s body ever since she’s come back from Hydra.” Tony said, not looking up from the screen that was spouting out names and numbers.

“Well what the hell is it?!” Clint barked and Tony shot him a glare. 

“We don’t know Barton. We’ve been conducting tests and experiments on her for the last 3 days. Only thing we got so far were chemical names both found in Steve’s file, Bucky’s file, and an classified SHIELD file.” Tony said and pressed a few buttons. 

“Sir, Imani’s core temperature level is dropping.” Jarvis said and Bruce noticed ice creeping up on the girl’s arm. 

Tony cursed under his breath and dug around a few drawers, pulling out a few huge circular pads. “Bruce, I’m gonna need you to lift her shirt.”   
Bruce lifted up the girl’s shirt and Tony placed the circular pads on her stomach. He pulled out a few wires and taped them to the pads. “Jarvis begin the heating.” 

“Heat commenced Sir.” The ice suddenly melted on Imani’s arm and she stirred softly. 

“Thank God...” Bruce whispered and squeezed the girl’s hand, then looked up. Steve, Natasha, and Clint were staring at the table in shock. The doors to the lab opened and Thor walked in with Loki trailing behind. 

“Is she alright?” Loki asked softly. Bruce nodded and Tony ran a hand through his hair. 

“She’s stable....her core temperature was pretty low so its gonna take a few hours for it to go back up...In the meantime...we’re gonna explain everything upstairs.” Tony said and walked upstairs, everyone slowly following behind him. 

 

“So.....Imani is part...or was going to be made into a Super Soldier...?” Bucky asked to confirm. Tony nodded. 

“But what’s on that SHIELD file?” Natasha asked. 

“We didn’t get that far. We had been trying to figure that out before Imani made us sleep. Then...” Tony made a motion with his hands as if to say. “This happened.” 

“Think its anything to do with all of that?” Clint asked. Bruce and Tony looked at each other and shrugged. 

“Who knows?” Bruce said and the gang sat in silence. Steve rubbed his eyes and Bruce ran a hand through his hair. 

“So we basically have no leads to solving any of this?” Bucky asked looking around the room. Bruce and Tony glanced at each other before sighing and nodding.

“What do we do?” Thor asked, arms crossed over his chest and his eyes were casted downwards. 

“We wait.” Loki said softly. And that seemed to ease everyone, but not by much. 

Imani stirred softly and her eyes slowly opened. The lab was dark, lit only by a single white light above her. She tried turning her head, but felt too weak to do so.   
“J-Jarvis....” She said softly. But she was only met with silence. With a sigh, she tried to wrack her brain on how she got here. Suddenly, the whoosing sound of the lad doors opening got her attention. Footsteps walked silently beside her and she would’ve spoke, but the figure shook their head. 

“Jarvis. Turn on the lights will you?” Sam asked. 

“Certainly.” The lights turned on and Sam helped Imani sit up. He turned around and grabbed a bottle of water. 

“Drink some of this.” She didn’t need to be told twice. He helped her take sips and she cleared her throat. “T-thanks Sam....where is everyone?” 

“Upstairs. Think they’re all asleep, even Tony.” Sam chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. Imani sighed and rested her hands on her knees. 

“You wanna talk about any of this?” Sam asked and Imani sighed. 

“I mean I guess you already know the jist of it all...hell even I don’t really know what’s going on.” Imani said with a small chuckle, but it trailed off. Sam put a hand on her back and helped her stand. 

“C’mon. You seem hungry.” 

The two walked upstairs and Imani smiled. Tony was slumped into a chair, arms crossed over his chest. Bruce was laying on the couch huddled into a small ball   
and Natasha was sitting beside him, her head resting on a propped up pillow. Steve and Bucky were on the floor sitting upright, their backs against one another. Loki and Thor were doing the same, Loki’s head laying back on Thor’s shoulder. 

The two quietly crept past the sleeping Avengers and out of the Tower, unaware that a certain Avenger was perched atop a ledge above them, arm dangling off and head rested on his bag of arrows.


	40. God of Mischief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys so I recently saw Civil War (AWESOME BY THE WAY) but I'm not going to implement any Civil War related things into the story until the end of May just because that'll give everyone a chance to see it. For now I'm gonna make a lot of these chapters about Imani's life before the Avengers and just alot of awesome nice domestic time at the Tower. But yeah. No Civil War until May 31st. Anyways, ENJOY. (Also sorry about it being super short!)

Sam and Imani walked across the streets of New York, Imani dressed in one of Natasha’s navy blue hoodies. “Where are we going?” Imani asked. 

Sam said nothing as the pair stopped outside of a bookstore “I feel like before all of the Avengers you liked to read. So...” Sam smiled and shrugged. Imani smiled a bit and they walked inside. 

The bookstore was pretty small, but held a few shoppers. It was warm and smelled of coffee. Imani took in a deep breath and sighed. She went to turn to Sam, but he was off into the History section. Imani smiled and walked over to the fiction section. She traced her finger over the spines of books and walked through the aisles, immediately grabbing two books. 

“I didn’t pin you as a Jack Kerouac type of girl.” Sam said as the pair walked out of the bookstore with a bag in their hands, Imani eagerly flipping through Jack Kerouac’s On The Road. 

“I didn’t get into him until high school. I had to do a paper on him and read a few of his poems and got into his writing and well...” Imani held up the bag filled with Jack Kerouac books. 

“A lot of people couldn’t get into him and I can see why. His writing style seems a bit confusing at first, but its rushed cause he was trying to have an adventure.” Sam smiled as the two walked into the Tower. 

Loki was the only one awake, Thor now slumped against Mjölnir. He noticed the pair and held a finger to his lips. The pair set down their bags and crept over to Loki. He pointed to Thor with a mischievous grin. With the angle Thor was slumping at, you almost didn’t notice the air horn.  
The trio walked over into the hallway and crept down, getting a perfect view. Thor slumped against the handle of the air horn and it blared through the Tower. Steve and Bucky immediately jumped, looking around frantically. Thor jolted awake with a dazed and sleepy look. Tony fell out of his place on the chair and Bruce yawned and rubbed his eyes. Natasha woke up startled and Clint (still on top of the Tower near the entrance) fell off with a hard thud. Sam, Imani, and Loki howled with laughter. 

“I b-believe the term....i-is g-good morning sleepyheads!” Loki said in between laughs.


	41. Meeting Dad (And Loki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this was actually meant to be a funny chapter but it got very dark very quick. Anyways I will I will I will have Civil War related chapters soon. (I know I said the 31st but work and life got to me). So these upcoming chapters will still be all domestic and providing Imani's backstory and all but I will have Civil War chapters coming in the next few days (or maybe a week or two). Anyways I really hope you guys enjoy!

The rain softly pelted Imani’s bedroom window as she flipped another page of her book.  
“Ms. Brooks. There is a visitor at the door here to see you.” Jarvis’s voice said smoothly. Confused, Imani marked the page in her book and set it down. “Thanks Jarvis.”  
Dressed in pink polka dot pajama bottoms and one of Natasha’s old black tanktops, Imani walked down the stairs. Bruce and Loki were sitting on the couch, two cups of tea in front of them and books in their hands. Imani opened the door and smiled softly. “What are you doing here?”  
“Eh Fury gave me the day off since it was raining.” Matthew said with a shrug. He wore a simple black hoodie and light blue jeans that were dampened a bit by the soft rain. Imani giggled and leaned against the door.  
“Fury gave you the day off? Why don’t I believe that?” Imani said smiling. Matthew rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and laughed.  
“He did! I swear!” Imani laughed and Matthew grinned. “So...mind spending my day off with me?”  
Imani smiled and nodded. “Yeah sure. Just give me a minute to get ready.” Matthew stepped inside and Bruce and Loki turned their heads.  
“Guys this is Matthew. Don’t kill him please while I get ready.” Imani said and walked upstairs, leaving the three men alone. 

Matthew twiddled his thumbs as both men stared at him. Loki’s was more of a curious stare, while Bruce’s was more of a cold stare.  
“So Matthew. How are you today?” Loki asked softly with a smile on his lips. Before Matthew could respond, Bruce slammed his hand on the table in front of them.  
“Mr. Banner calm yourself.” Loki said and gave an apologetic look to Matthew. “I’m sorry about him...”

“N-no I understand! I...” Matthew sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I know I’m not the perfect guy for her and I can seriously understand your hostility towards me. I did kidnap her and take her away from you both and-” Matthew’s sentence was cut short by Bruce.  
“And you suddenly think that because you got her back to us and that you pretend to be this nice guy to her and take her out that all is forgiven?!” Bruce shouted.  
“Bruce-”  
“No! He took her away from me! Away from us! How can you just let this punk get away with the shit he’s done to us?!” Bruce screamed. Matthew felt suddenly smaller. Everything he was saying was true. Did he even deserve to be with her...?  
“Do you know what kind of shit you’ve put us through?! You’ve put her through?! She has nightmares!! She barely sleeps! She-” Bruce stopped and let out a frustrated huff. Matthew sunk a bit into his seat. She....had nightmares..? She didn’t look out of shape at all...  
“I can’t fucking believe you! I-”

“Bruce stop.” All three men turned to the girl standing at the bottom of the stairs. Her hair was in natural curls and she wore a similar black hoodie and a paid of blue skinny jeans and a pair of sky blue rain boots with ducks on them. Matthew almost laughed, but kept it in as she was glaring at Bruce.  
“Imani-”  
“Stop.” The fierce hostility in her voice made Bruce’s mouth close immediately. “I don’t appreciate you talking to my boyfriend like that. He made a mistake and while yes, a very very bad mistake that hurt a lot of people, he’s learned from it. He’s a different person now. Hell because of him I’m back here now!” Imani glanced at Matthew and turned back to Bruce.  
“I understand how upset you are. But don’t make him feel anymore worse than he already feels.” Imani walked past the three men and Matthew stood up. Imani grabbed the nearby clear umbrella by the door and took Matthew’s hand.  
“Let’s go.”


	42. Discrepancies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y'ALL I HAVE BEEN AWAY FOR A YEAR AND I AM SO DAMN SORRY. I REALLY TRULY AM. I HONESTLY HAVE BEEN SO OVERWHELMED WITH LIFE. I TURNED 21, MY JOB IS HELL, I MET GAME GRUMPS, I'M ADULTING, I GOT MY DRIVERS LICENSE, AND I NOW HAVE JURY DUTY. BUT I SWEAR I WILL TRY TO UPDATE THIS MORE AND ALSO I'M GONNA WORK ON A FUCKTON OF CHAPTERS AND A NEW STORY WITH BABY SPIDERMAN TOM HOLLAND SO PLEASE Y'ALL FORGIVE ME FOR LEAVING. AND STAY TUNED CAUSE I'M BACK BITCHES.

“Wait what’s going on?” Imani asked, confused as she walked into the Tower. Steve, Sam, and Natasha were on the couch while Tony and Rhodes stood. “And where’s Bruce? And Bucky?” 

“Bruce is downstairs….Bucky is….” Natasha’s voice trailed off as she glanced at Steve, who had a cold look on his face.   
Imani scanned the room and was surprised to notice the giant maroon colored man fiddling with the microwave and a brown haired girl leaning against the counter. “And who are they?” 

“Look….Bucky’s gone….The Super Soldier in him….” Steve’s voice choked up and Natasha laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“We were in a town in Africa….Bucky was chasing some Hydra agents…then…he turned on us…” Natasha finished.   
Imani was stunned to say the least. Bucky….her Bucky? Steve’s Bucky…? 

“And Ms. Wanda, she….pushed a detonator….into a hospital…” The maroon colored man stated. Wanda glared at him and scanned the room, her eyes slowly becoming glossy. “It was an accident..” She said softly.

“I’m….confused…..How do you accidentally push a detonator into a hospital?” Imani asked. Wanda glared at her. 

“My powers aren’t stable yet.” She said coolly. 

“But powers aside, you have to atleast have some common sense to not put a freaking safety hazard in a hospital.” Imani said, her voice rising. Wanda pushed herself off of the counter. 

“Look here-” 

“Easy there Ms. Wanda.” The maroon man said, laying a hand on the girl’s shoulder. 

“Look it was no one’s fault. We all make mistakes.” Steve said and Tony let out a scoff. 

“We can’t afford to make mistakes Rogers. We’re superheroes with limitations!” Tony shouted. 

“Exactly why we need to learn from those limitations. We need to analyze and conquer.” Steve said, slowly standing. 

“Bullshit Rogers!! We aren’t soldiers!! We need to be fucking responsible for our actions!! PEOPLE DIED ROGERS!!! People have died from today, from New York, from all the shit we bring to them!! We need A PLAN. WE NEED TO BE SAFE, TO KEEP EVERYONE SAFE.” Tony slammed his hand on the counter and was pretty close to Steve. Steve stared the man down, blue eyes blazing with anger. 

“I agree with Tony.” Imani said and all eyes turned to her. Natasha’s eyes went wide with confusion.

“Imani-” 

“No Nat. Tony’s right. People have died from everything we’ve done to this city. Hell I’ve almost died! If there’s a way to keep ourselves in check, I say we take it.” Imani turned to Matthew and then looked at Wanda. “Since some of us apparently can’t keep our powers in check long enough to push a bomb into a hospital.” Suddenly, Imani was pushed hard across the room, slamming into a wall with a hard thud. 

“Imani!!” 

“Wanda what the hell?!”

Imani slowly dragged herself up with a groan, shooting daggers at Wanda, whose eyes and hands were a fire red. Matthew rushed over just as Bruce walked up the stairs.

“What the hell happened?!” He shouted as Imani wiped dust and gravel off her shoulders. She turned to Matthew and nodded her head as a motion to let her go. And he did.   
And she ran head first toward Wanda, grabbing the girl by her waist and slamming her into a window. She landed a quick punch to Wanda’s jaw and Wanda scratched at Imani’s face. Suddenly, Imani was being pushed again by an unknown force. She glared at Wanda as she was thrown onto the hard concrete ground. 

“That wasn’t my fault.” Wanda spat. 

“Oh of course not. Cause a lot of people THROW BOMBS INTO BUILDINGS!!” Imani shouted and Wanda screamed grabbing the girl again. The unknown force was at her neck and Imani struggled to breathe. Through squinted eyes, she saw Steve running toward Wanda and trapped her in a strong hold, The force around Imani’s neck was released and she fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Tony, Bruce, and Matthew rushed over to Imani. 

“Rogers get her away now.” Tony demanded, helping up Imani and escorting her into the house. 

“I’m on your side Tony.” Imani muttered, clutching his arm. 

“Thanks kid.”


	43. New Members

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2018!!! One of my resolutions was to update my fics and I'm gonna be sticking to it people I promise!!! No more year long breaks! I am officially back for good & will be updating fics!! Thank you guys so much for sticking with my story and bookmarking it and waiting so long. I promise you guys will get chapters a lot more often. You guys are the best. 
> 
> ALSO I WILL BE REWRITING THE TOM HOLLAND FIC GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE. Reading it over I was not happy on how it was forming and a bunch of new ideas came up so I will be scraping the fic. BUT I WILL BE MAKING NEW CHAPTERS SO PLEASE STAY TUNED.

It had been a tense tower as of late. The air was thick with it; alliances were tested, friendships were strained. Imani noticed it whenever she was in the room with everyone. As usual (and very convenient on their parts) Thor and Loki were away on Asgard and Imani wished she had went with them. Tony rarely came out of the lab and when he did, he gave Natasha and Steve the coldest of shoulders. It was one thing to not be talking to them, but the fact that he acted as if he didn’t notice their presences was another. However, she understood because she was the same way with Wanda who (also very conveniently) had a room next to hers. And she had Tony to thank for that. 

 

Breakfast was a quiet one, the only sounds echoing throughout were the screeches of silverware against plates. Imani stared down at the marble countertop and then grabbed her dishes. She made her way to the sink and started to rinse them. 

 

“I’ll do dishes.”    
  


The voice was surprisingly Wanda’s. Imani looked up at the girl and saw her eyes were a bloodshot red. Her hair looked more disheveled and her voice was hoarse when she spoke. Imani nodded once, her mouth forming a hard line and probably looked like a half assed attempt to smile. It made Wanda crack a small grin and Imani stepped aside. She walked down towards the lab and almost bumped into Tony on his way up. 

 

“Perfect. Just the girl I needed to see. Listen I need you to go somewhere for me.” Tony spoke fast and it took her a minute to respond. It took her a bit more to notice he was wearing a suit. 

 

“Well hi to you Tony. And where am I apparently going if I say yes?” 

 

“A small little apartment in Brooklyn. Gonna go meet a friend of mine. And look pretty when you go.” Imani stared at him stunned.    
  
“First off are you saying I’m not already pretty? And secondly, why should I go? I don’t even know this guy!” Tony stared at her and sighed. 

 

“You know I love you kiddo. You’re like my freaking daughter at this point and you will always be pretty in my eyes.” She rolled her eyes, but a grin had formed on her face. “And you’ll be going cause who else is going to fit in the new suit?” 

  
That was certainly a deal breaker. 

  
  


She landed in an alley, scaring a stray cat. The suit unfolded and formed into a watch on her wrist. 

 

“FRIDAY please tell Tony I landed safely and that he’s the best.” Imani said into the watch. 

 

“Mr. Stark sends his regards. And also says to not go googly eye over this guy His name is Peter Parker.” FRIDAY’s voice was confused as she read the message and Imani was too for that matter. Who is this guy? Shaking off her thoughts, she emerged from the alley wearing a black and white polka dot dress and some black tie up VANS. Her hair was in dreadlocks, the braid like strands falling to her shoulders. She climbed up the stairs to the apartment building and knocked on the door. A few seconds went by and a young woman, looking to be in her early 30’s opened the door. Her eyes went wide and Imani probably had the same wide eyed look. She was wearing a white tank top and simple blue jeans. Her hair cascaded past her shoulders. 

 

“Can I help you Miss?” She asked, sounding confused and most likely shocked at the girl standing in her doorway. Imani cleared her throat.    
  
“I’m from the Tony Stark internship program. Mr. Stark sent me to have a talk with Peter Parker?” The woman’s face went from confusion to understanding.    
  
“Oh! The program Peter entered!” She laughed and Imani grinned. “Well he’s not here right now but he’ll be home from school in about an hour or so. Would you like to come in?” She asked. 

 

“I’d love to thank you.” Imani said and walked into the apartment. “I’m sorry to ask, but are you Peter’s mother because, forgive me, you look stunning.” This earned another laugh from the woman.    
  


“Well aren’t you a doll!! No wonder Mr. Stark sent you!! Such a sweetheart and a pretty thing too!” She sat on the couch and motioned Imani to sit, which she happily obliged. “I’m Peter’s Aunt May.” 

  
  
  


Peter whistled a tune as he walked down the sidewalk towards his apartment building. Other than Flash being a usual bully to him, the day was alright. He strolled up the stairs to his apartment complex and fished his key out from his pocket. He heard his Aunt May laugh and her voice muffled the response.  _ Probably laughing at Friends again  _ he thought and unlocked the door. 

 

Well….she was laughing. And I guess you could say the really pretty girl in the polka dot dress was a friend…

 

Peter’s heart dropped, then rose back up as his Aunt May shouted, “Ah Peter’s home! Peter this is Imani from the Stark internship!”  _ She’s from the Stark Internship?!! Her?!! _ Peter’s mind was screaming. This girl was attractive. She had turned to face him and Peter’s heart skipped a beat. Then, she grinned. 

 

“So this is Peter?” She asked, turning to his Aunt May. His Aunt nodded and smiled.    
  


“Well I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about! Peter I’m gonna be a bit. I forgot to grab a few things from the market across the street. I’ll be right back!” His eyes went wide and he finally managed to find his voice. 

 

“Y-yeah!” His voice cracked and he stuttered. His Aunt smiled as she grabbed her wallet and walked out of the door. Then the apartment was silent, both of them listening to Aunt May’s footsteps get farther away until it was quiet. Imani turned to Peter and stood from her place on the couch. 

 

“Mr. Stark sent you?” Peter asked and she nodded. 

 

“Trust me I’m just as surprised as you. He didn’t tell me anything about you so this….is a shock.” Imani said, her voice trailing off at the boy in front of her. Then, composing herself, she said, “So you’re Spiderman.” 

 

Peter’s demeanour changed. He looked around as if he was hiding a secret (which I guess he was) and stared her down. 

 

“Who told you?” 

 

“Who else?” She shot back. 

 

“You have no proof.” 

 

“I go by Mr. Stark’s word. And he’s been tracking you Peter. He knows. Which is why I’m here. We need you.” Peter scrunched up his face in confusion. 

 

“For what? Why does he need me?” 

 

Imani stared at the boy in front of her once again. This boy, this kid. He looked to be in high school judging from the backpack. He was a bit lanky and honestly didn’t look like much. And Imani pondered his question for who knows how long. Then, with a calm voice, she spoke. 

 

“We’re going to have a battle. Mr. Stark needs all the power he can get.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I WILL BE REWRITING THE TOM HOLLAND FIC GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE. Reading it over I was not happy on how it was forming and a bunch of new ideas came up so I will be scraping the fic. BUT I WILL BE MAKING NEW CHAPTERS SO PLEASE STAY TUNED. ANY FANS OF THAT STORY I WILL DELETE CHAPTERS AND MAKE NEW CHAPTERS SO PLEASE STAY TUNED.


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